Legends of Avatar: The Untold Story
by BlehBluhBlah
Summary: They say there are two sides to every story. The same applies to Aang and his friends with the stories they left behind of their legacy. However, there was still one that no one had ever told or heard. Fortunately enough for Korra and the gang, Toph has the other side to tell. But maybe some things stayed untold for a reason? Only stories around the campfire can answer that.
1. Time for the Truth

_**A/N: So, this is new, obviously. This story will be very… interesting to write. So, bear with me. I've been contemplating writing this for over a year mainly because I was nervous of my portrayal of Toph. She's fun to write and all, but a single slip up can guarantee her OOC for the rest of the story. But I just want to give it a shot.**_ _ **Now, sit back, pull up a chair, and enjoy…**_

* * *

 **The Untold Story**

 _Tell… the truth…_

Those words continuously played through Toph's mind. Each word brought a heavy, painful feeling. They were heavy as boulders and were cold as ice. Toph wasn't very fond of regret, let alone feelings. She disliked the notion that whenever she looked back, she'd share both the pain and joy of her memories. She hated that whenever she thought about anything, she'd start to tear up. She would feel her eyes water and a large bulge would grow in her throat. She sat down and stared up at the ceiling, in an attempt to relax and think. She didn't feel the same way like the others, she was just sad. It was understandable too, because that was how one was suppose to feel when they grieved.

There she sat, Toph Beifong—the world's greatest earthbender—alone in the living room. She was sat on the recliner, staring at the ceiling. She did not dare to recline the chair in worry of not being able to get out. Her back was sore and healers had advised not putting any stress onto it. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck for the rest of her life in a recliner whilst mourning. However it would be a very comfortable way to go.

She had lived a great life, long enough to see her friends grow old and have children of their own. Long enough to see their children grow as well. It came as a shock to most when everyone discovered Toph had children of her own, it was a shock that she had ever fallen in love with anyone—her included. Life wasn't how any of them expected it to be. That was what Toph loved most about their story. The fact that none of them imagined they would be apart of something bigger and even in the end, it was still different. She had achieved great feats in her prime.

She had become the world's greatest earthbender, the world's first metal bender, and even had a school of metal benders. She was still going strong once she became Chief of Republic City Police. Then the face of metalbenders everywhere. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with, and she liked that. Back then, recalling those memories was always joyful—aside from the regret and guilt every now and again. Now, all those memories were filled with pain. How could one look back at the good times when there was always pain. Each memory was just another part of someone she lost, and when she looked back she only saw what she didn't have anymore.

There it was again, those tears. She felt her eyes water up. She closed them and sighed softly. A tear then proceeded to stream down her face. "Toph?" A voice had suddenly alerted her, nearly causing her to jump. Toph instinctively wiped away her tear and a let a sniffle escape her.

Toph turned to the voice, which she could sense was stood at the door. "Uhh, yes Tenzin?" The light steps of his feet, which were slowly approaching her, were easily recognizable.

"Everyone is gathered outside," he said softly. "I… I thought you would want to join us," he added. There was an obvious hesitation in his voice, Toph knew this. He wasn't really sure what Toph wanted at the moment. Everyone mourned in different ways.

Toph nodded as she rose out of the recliner and glanced over to him. She could feel his eyes meet hers, but she kept her gaze to the floor like usual. "I'm coming." Tenzin smiled and nodded back, waiting back at the door. Toph slowly made her way over and followed him down the halls. The small, light sounds of their steps were the only thing suppressing the silence between the two. Toph walked with her hands tucked behind her back, whilst slouching. Despite the awkward silence, it was not like the two weren't close. Toph and Tenzin were really close, Toph had known him since he was baby.

Tenzin was not sure if small talk was necessary at the moment. The walk from the living room to the courtyard wasn't long. Not much needed to be said between the two. Neither of them could really say anything to the other, as it was a shared loss. Tenzin was widely aware of this. He couldn't just say, _"Sorry for your loss,"_ since it was his loss as well. He took a glance at Toph every so often, observing her expression. Though it was silly to worry about social skills and awkwardness in a time of grief, he always felt like he had to be strong with Toph—a like father like son scenario, something he had gotten from Aang.

Toph's expression was the way it always was. A blank look with distant eyes that showed no interest in anything. Despite the fact that he'd just seen her cry, her expression was neutral. It really worried him how she much she was hiding. After all the pain and mourning, he was beginning to realize not everyone he loved would be around forever. He knew Toph was the type to mask herself, to hide her feelings and conceal her thoughts. It was only people like Aang, Katara, and Sokka who could get her to be more open, and just by a smidge.

Regardless of his thoughts, Toph could feel Tenzin's vibrations pulsating incredibly. He was obviously nervous and worried, to which Toph decided to engage. "We would walk through these halls," she spoke up softly. Tenzin gazed at her, prompting her to continue. "All four of us. On the days we were free, we would meet up here, catch up and just… have fun." A smile formed on her lips as she reminisced the memories. "When Zuko was available, that was when we would all plan a great dinner, one that would develop into a party. When it was only one, it'd be a small lunch date."

"I remember," Tenzin responded, mimicking her smile. "I enjoyed those times when I saw you, Sokka, or Zuko visit. It would always mean a fun and pleasant evening. Then on those trips he took me on, we always stopped by to see you whenever we could." He sighed. "You all made my childhood exciting."

"I'm surprised the son of the Avatar would have an even more exciting childhood than that title alone," she remarked.

"Well, that was exciting, but meeting the people who were friends of my father and learning from them also got me excited." Tenzin's smile grew more. "I'm glad to have met all of you."

Toph scoffed. "Don't worry about me kid," she muttered softly. "I'm fine."

The two had just arrived at the doors that led out to the courtyard. Tenzin stopped in his tracks to which Toph mimicked. He glanced at her and said, "You've been inside the Temple for two weeks and have only talked to the Acolytes when you needed to, which for your case, is a rarity." The light joke made her smile. "We're all concerned, Toph. Yes, we are all grieving and as much as we miss—"

"I told you," Toph interjected. "I'm _fine_ Tenzin." She glanced over to him, her eyes meeting his chest. "It's been hard. Especially being in this place, not only am I in the city of which he created, I've been living in the temple where he had trained you. Where he lived the rest of his life. He did not make it easy for us to forget him." A humourless chuckle escaped her lips. "It's as if wherever he went he left a memento, a legacy. Then when we had to move on, all we see his face. And now, every memory of him, is a memory of all of us. You can't think about the Avatar, without thinking about all of us."

"It's hard, I know," Tenzin nodded. "I had those same issues when my father passed away. The legacy he left me."

Toph sighed as she shook her head. "So what is this about?" she asked, changing the subject abruptly. "A small gathering between friends and family?"

Tenzin briefly laughed as he shrugged. "I honestly don't know." He grabbed the doors and slid them open. The two walked through the wooden archway, and directly to the right, was the gathering. "A small campfire and friends," Tenzin noted. He was right about that. They were all there, sat on a circle of earth stumps and benches that were no doubt recently created. She could feel a couple of glances meet her way. "They all thought that a few stories and some recollection of the mind would help ease the pain."

Another scoff by Toph. Then a voice neared them, "Toph, Tenzin."

Toph smiled at the source and greeted, "Evening Korra." Her voice was still soft and she had cleared her throat afterward.

"So, Korra, what did you have in mind again?" Tenzin asked as he and Toph followed her to the campfire. Korra walked over to the other end and sat on the earth bench Bolin had made for them. The seating arrangement was Asami, Korra, Mako, and Bolin respectively. Then, to the left of their bench were a few scattered stumps. There sat Tenzin's kids and Pema. Ikki and Meelo were obediently sat together near Pema who had Rohan in her arms while Jinora sat closer to the Team Avatar bench. Adjacent to them were six other stumps. Lin and Suyin, Kya, Bumi, and an extra stump left for Tenzin no doubt. Then a final one for Toph, by itself, right across from the Team Avatar bench.

The two sat down and Tenzin looked over to Korra, prompting everyone to do the same. She smiled and stood up. "I know that these past few weeks have been rough and that we all are still mourning, but I thought we should all get together and share a few moments of happiness." A pause, leaving a few of the group to smile. "It's times like these we should be glad to have friends who can be their for us, friends and family we can be with. So, I thought one of the best ways to honour our fallen friend, is to share some memories and say a few words! But first," Korra turned around and reached behind the bench. She pulled out a tray of cups and began passing them around the group, quickly as possible.

By the time Toph received her cup, she got a whiff and smiled. Earl Grey tea, it was _her_ favourite. Once Korra had returned to her seat she sighed in satisfaction as she looked upon her group of friends. She rose her cup and announced, "To one of the greatest waterbenders ever known, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

Everyone else rose their drinks and said, "To Katara!" then proceeded to sip them. Few had actually finished the drink immediately and left them aside their seats, others held on and awaited Korra to continue.

"So, I think we should all try to reconcile some memories we had of Katara," Korra spoke up with a smile as she looked around. "Does anyone want to go—"

"Me!" Bumi rose his hand first, eagerly waiting with a smile.

Korra gestured to him and said, "Floor's yours Bumi."

He stood up happily holding onto his cup. He glanced back and forth between his siblings and then said with a smug face, "Our mother, was one of the coolest moms out there. It wasn't because she was married to the Avatar, or was one of the world's greatest healers, or was master waterbender, or could bloodbend, or water whip ya with her sweat," his siblings laughed at the inside joke. "She was amazing because she understood us. She saw each one of my siblings and knew that things were difficult. I couldn't bend, Kya was treated different once Tenzin came, and Tenzin was seen above all else. Despite all of that, our mom did a bang up job of keeping our bond alive."

He confidently nodded and said, "Though I couldn't bend at the time, she tried not to treat me any different. She still tried to teach me about how healing and bending worked and made sure that I equally understood it just as well as my brother and sister. She showed me that bending wasn't the only powerful thing in the world. Sure, Dad had done the same, but I think Katara's stuck the most. Those two always fell into arguments when it came to parenting us. I think Tenzin was the divide. But I'm amazed that she still tried to meet me halfway. In the end, I'm glad that I had a mother like Katara." He sighed and took his seat.

Kya immediately rose her hand and looked over to Korra, who nodded. She slowly rose up and sighed. "Our mother truly was an amazing woman. Not to rag on the airbending thing more, but the fact that I wasn't an Airbender didn't mean much to her! Katara taught me everything she knew and showed me that I still had a purpose. She inspired me to go around the world, and use her teachings to heal others. She taught me how to be compassionate and caring. She taught me that water could be a delicate, calm element, but also could be fierce and aggressive, that was also how I would describe Katara.

"Our mother truly was an amazing woman. She was just perfect." Tears started to swarm in Kya's eyes. "I might be what's left of her legacy, and I will honour that." She sunk back down in her seat. Tenzin reached out to her and placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, leaving her to whisper, _"I'm fine."_

Tenzin cleared his throat as he rose up from his seat with his cup of tea in his right hand. "She was a mother like no other. She was always there for us to confide in. She always believed us, and knew that we all were destined for greatness. Her optimism and wisdom helped guide me through rough times. At the end of the day, she was someone we could all love. A friendly face we loved to see, a person we… would cherish." His expression fell as he sighed. "Katara will continue to live on in our hearts and mind, she'll always be there for us." He sat back down and closed his eyes for a moment, regaining his composure.

Some nodded in agreement to Tenzin's words. Pema beamed a happy smile at Tenzin while the rest of his kids—aside from Rohan, who was sleeping—proudly grinned at their father. After a brief moment of silence, it was clear everyone was expecting someone else to go. They exchanged glances and waited for someone to rise. Toph however, was surprised by the intense vibrations the others were giving off. She could infer some were nervous to speak up, in fear of not having something worthy to say.

But she figured now was the best time to do so. Katara had left her one task before passing before her eyes. She recalled it all too quickly. From the moment she sensed her, all the way in the swamp, Toph could feel her faint. Within an instant Toph made her way over to Republic City, as fast as she could. By the time she arrived, everyone had sorrow looks on their faces and the atmosphere immediately felt grim. Tenzin had stepped out of the room and stared at Toph with an eyeful of tears. He told her that Katara wanted to tell her something and was going to have him pass it on.

Right from there Toph knew that the end was near for her soon, and that the truth had to be told. She walked into the bedroom and teared up at the sight of a dreary Katara. Then when she made her way over to her, Katara had whispered the words, _"Tell… the truth…"_ and she was gone. Her chance of saying anything back faded when Toph heard her, she had to let it sink in before should say anything. She understood now, the responsibility had been left onto her. She internally laughed as she thought more about the topic. Maybe it was everyone's plan to die before Toph, just to stick her with the hard job. Toph rolled her eyes, assuming that would be something Aang would do.

She took a deep breath and rose up from her stump with her drink in her hand. Everyone drew their attention toward her. "Whelp, she certainly was a Sugar Queen in her youth." She chuckled. "I envied Katara when we were fighting Ozai. She was always so approachable and kind. She was the mother of our group. She constantly nagged us when we didn't listed and scolded us when we misbehaved. She was always high maintenance. She always had to be right, always had to be the perfect little waterbender." A few of the grins on everyone's faces began to fade. Something about Toph's tone and attitude seemed off putting. "No matter what she did Katara did no wrong. Heck, all her stories note her as the perfect one. But when you look at it on paper, she didn't really accomplish much on her own." Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi looked at Toph with wide eyes, obvious offense in their eyes.

Korra cleared her throat. "Uh… um Toph? Is there a point to this?" she asked nervously.

Toph shrugged. "I'm just commenting on how I knew her. Don't get me wrong, I loved her, she was like the sister I never had. I'll never know what it was like to grow up with a sibling, Katara is the closest representation I have of that. In some ways, she acted more like a mother to me. A better mother than my own real mum. But no matter the bright side, I always compared myself to her. I thought that I was better than her, that I was stronger. I _had_ to compare myself. It gave me reassurance.

"In the end, we had our small moments together. I could list them but I'm sure Aang or Katara had already told those stories. There was the time she took me to a spa, just to make me feel pretty—which I hated. Then she tried to prove she was fun by pulling a scam with me. Then all those times she and I had arguments about basically anything, when we travelled the world it would be about the food. There were times she and I just had to make up because Aang or Sokka told us to. Despite what was on paper, she had her not so pleasant moments. It was mainly because of me, since I knew how to get underneath her skin.

"That was something I always liked about our relationship. No matter the image she was portraying, Sugar Queen could easily lose her temper if she was pushed the right way. She and I didn't have many stories together, we were always bickering." Toph had a very satisfied grin on her face. At this point, the group could sympathize with her, understanding this was how she coped. Tenzin and Korra had smirked at her proudly, both were glad she could be open in a time like this. Toph immediately shook her head and said, "But I don't think Sugar Queen would want us down in the dumps so easily. Katara was better than that."

"Indeed she was," Tenzin commented.

Toph sighed once again as a small grin formed on her face. "There are plenty of ways we could honour Katara's memory!" she announced. "Tell jokes, write poetry about her, make art about her that defines her image, or even tell stories." The group began to nodded in agreement.

"Ooh, ooh!" Bolin eagerly rose his hand and quickly said, "I'd love to hear more about the stuff that happened after the war." He elbowed his brother. "Right?"

Mako shrugged as he smirked. "I'm more personally interested in the war story."

"It was the legacy of the lifetime," Suyin commented quietly.

"Regardless of those stories," Toph spoke up once again, "I'm sure you all have heard these stories sometime before." Her kids began to nod much like Katara's kids. "And not everything was worthy of a story. Somethings were too small to even bring up, let alone even think about. But others were definitely worth telling. Hundred Year War _,_ Zuko's mom, how we met _,_ the journey of training Aang, all that stuff." A few smiles grew at the recollection of hearing those stories again. Obviously, those related had heard the stories millions of times before and though some may say otherwise, they all enjoyed listening to them.

Suyin gently nudged her sister and mumbled, "The last one." Lin laughed at her half sister's comment, she and Suyin had heard a lot about their mother training Aang in their youth.

"But there was one that was never told, one that we all had sworn not to talk about." Toph swallowed hard as she took a pause. Her gaze had rose up and glanced around the group, intending to meet their eyes. Though it was not accurate, everyone knew what she was going for and got the feeling that it was serious. Toph looked to her left, where her and Katara's kids were sat. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we never told the truth, and in the time that we—that I do, it's only me who is left to take the blame. But in the end, we all love you."

"Mom," Lin leant forward, lowering her cup to the ground. "You're kinda worrying me. What are you talking about?"

"It's just… before you all freak out and start to lose it, I want you all to keep calm and let me explain the situation we were in, and how it all fell into—"

"Toph," Tenzin spoke up. "It's okay, we'll hear you out."

She choked back as she sat back down. The last person she wanted to motivate her, was Tenzin. At this point, Toph just wanted to run and give up. But she had gone too far in, she had to move forward. It was time she told the story. Another sigh, followed by a proud smile. Toph gazed toward the burning campfire and said, "Tenzin is my son."

* * *

 _ **A/N: That's right, things are not what they seem! Please, review and follow! Lemme know your thoughts! There's no turning back for me now...**_

 _ **Until next time...**_

— _**Bleh**_


	2. Tale Begins

**Tale Begins**

"What?" was the initial response everyone had.

Tenzin nervously laughed whilst he viciously shook his head. "Toph, you're obviously not feeling well—"

"It's the truth Tenzin," Toph interrupted knowingly.

"No," Lin spoke up with wide eyes. Tenzin looked over to Lin then glanced down to her feet, which were exposed to the earth. She felt her vibrations. "Mom…" she looked over to Toph with wide eyes. "No…"

Toph swallowed hard as she nodded. "I'm not lying."

Tenzin immediately denied it, "No! That can't be! I was rose by Aang _and_ Katara. I don't remember you ever being there!"

"But I was there," Toph reminded him. "I was there more than anyone else." He fell silent as he glared at Toph. "If you recall," she addressed to Kya and Bumi, "by the time Tenzin came around I moved to Republic City to permanently stay there. Throughout his childhood I visited the most and I came over as much as I could despite my duties." Tenzin opened his mouth but nothing came out, as he knew that Toph had made a great point.

She was the one who visited Air Temple Island the most. Sokka was busy with the council and Zuko was rarely around. Yet she easily came by at random times. Even when gangs were still crawling about and police work seemed to double, Toph would still appear. Then came the enlightened expression of Aang at the mere mention of her name. They said they were just close friends. He couldn't believe how much all the small things really hinted. Aang and Katara never displayed much affection toward each other, physically that is. At least, he could not recall any examples when he was around. The closest would be the rarely spoken, 'Sweetheart' or 'Dear'. They always called each other by their names. He looked toward his siblings and more fear struck him, their expressions were also distant, as if they too were trying to think more about the topic.

He could not understand how it could be. When did Aang and Katara start to have a falling out? How had his siblings not notice the change? Or was the change way before that? Maybe Kya and Bumi weren't even related to Aang? None of it made sense. Since when did Toph become interested in Aang? But then again, who were the fathers of Lin and Suyin? There were small questions about Toph that were left unanswered, but would Aang be the answer to them?

"Uh, this is… I'm having a hard time believing this," Kya said with exhaustively. She brought her hand up to her head as she began to ponder the idea more.

"Same," Bumi added softly.

"So, does this mean Tenzin is our brother?" Suyin asked.

When Toph nodded, Lin's eyes immediately widened. "So you mean to tell me I dated my… brother for a month?"

Toph sighed. " _That_ was why I didn't approve of your relationship. It wasn't because I disliked him, it was because you two—"

"Ugh!" Lin groaned as a sour look appeared on her face. "I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered as she looked down to the ground. The rest of the group awkwardly began to look away from Lin.

"But, why! How!" Tenzin shouted loudly, awaking Rohan from his sleep. He developed spastic arm movements as he shouted, "How could this happen? _Why_ did this happen? Why was this kept secret!"

Toph slowly sipped her drink as she listened to Tenzin's rant. Once finished, she set it down beside her stump and sighed once again. "The main issue, fell upon Aang's publicity." She waited, expecting a response but nothing came. All were awaiting an answer. "The White Lotus were great partners with Aang, they always helped him. They monitored his activities and made sure he attended public events, council meetings, basically anything that was worthy of the Avatar's presence. They acted as his public advisers and made sure he didn't do anything dumb. 'Cause you know, he was still a bit childish at times."

"And?" Lin prompted her impatiently.

"It was kept secret because the White Lotus didn't want Aang's image to be ruined. The gist of it, is that he and Katara weren't doing so well after they had Kya. Heck, they were barely average when they had Bumi." Her light hearted tone wasn't helping the situation, only fueling the disgust. "It was just that Aang and Katara's relationship didn't turn out to what either of them had expected it to be. But in the end, what was there really for them to flourish? I guess they both realized that their relationship didn't really have much going for them—"

"Then why have us?" Kya interrupted. "Why have Bumi and me when they were having a falling out?"

Toph glanced over to Kya and answered, "It wasn't an immediate falling out, it was gradual. Arguments were at least three times a month and it would usually be different each time. Then the time came when Aang wanted to have kids—you know why." Toph narrowed her brows. She was being rude once again, but that was how she was even in honesty. She wasn't wrong too, some knew that deep down Aang wanted children just to save the Airbenders. "Katara approved the idea because she thought children would rekindle what they had, and it somewhat did with Bumi. But when Kya came about I guess Aang couldn't handle her in labour." Toph's joke brought no smiles aside from her own. "And that was also when he became even more busy with Avatar business—more busy with Zuko and Sokka, sometimes me. Then the arguments became once a week, and that was only when he was here. At the end of it, I guess the spark died out…"

A moment of silence passed before Tenzin dared to speak. In an aggressive tone, he asked, "Then how do _you_ fit into this?"

 _::::_

"Ugh, this is so stupid," Aang muttered as he adjusted his robe. He looked at himself in the mirror and beamed a fake smile, then said confidently, "Yeah, that should do it!"

Laughter came from the other end of the room. He looked over to the now opened door and frowned at the person coming in. "After all these years, the almighty Avatar Aang still hates attending parties," Zuko said with a smug expression as the door closed shut. "Still hiding in the washroom I see?" he asked as he approached Aang. Zuko quickly looked down at the stalls to check if there were anyone in them. After his scan, he determined they were alone.

Aang chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I'm just not one for the meet and greet. I get it, it's nice to be polite and it's good for my publicity as the Avatar. I'm fine with what the events mean but I just don't like meeting _every_ single person." Aang groaned as he leant against the wall. "It's just so pointless and a waste of time."

Zuko scoffed. "I can relate. But it's good to know how people how are these days, especially the ones that you don't talk to on a regular basis."

"Oh yeah, totally!" Aang replied sarcastically. His expression shifted into excitement as he said, "Oh, just in case you were wondering, Muiminia and Rei's clothing line is doing great this year! Scarves are in!" He looked at Zuko with a blank expression and frowned. "Tell me you were genuinely interested in Republic City's fashion sense."

Zuko opened his mouth and Aang challenged a glare. The two remained silent for a few seconds then immediately burst out laughing. Zuko said with a chuckle, "Ya got me!" Their laughter slowly died down, leaving Zuko to sigh. "I get it, it's not _all_ important."

"Just the press and the council Zuko," Aang stated with straightened posture as he looked back to the mirror. "Heck, I'm not even sure as to how all these people were invited."

"Council deemed it best that public faces and popular citizens should attend. Along with Representatives from businesses, other nations, of course council members—you were there at the meeting!" Zuko exclaimed hotly as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Aang grinned back as he responded, "Doesn't mean I was paying attention." He shrugged effortlessly causing Zuko to frown. "Right as the council got into the party details I started to tune everything out."

Zuko rolled his eyes disappointedly. He then shyly rolled his tongue around in his mouth as he let a moment of silence pass. "So." He cleared his throat. "I know that I didn't get a proper chance to greet—"

"We saw each other during the council meeting."

"—Regardless, that was two weeks ago. Still, I want to ask, how are you doing?" The firebender smirked as he leant against the sink, arms still crossed. Aang rose a confused brow over to his friend. Zuko sighed, understanding that his friend was choosing to play dumb. "You were alone when you arrived."

Aang still maintained his expression. "So? What of it?"

"Katara. Why didn't she come?" Zuko asked. Aang's expression immediately sunk into a frown. He let out a sigh as he looked down. Regardless of Aang's mannerisms Zuko decided to push on. "How are things between you two—"

"I'm not talking about this with you," Aang interjected with a cold tone.

"Aang," Zuko said sternly. "I know you."

He rolled his eyes in response and frowned. "I… it's hard, okay?"

Zuko nodded sympathetically and asked, "What is she doing right now?"

Aang replied, "She's staying at the Southern Water Tribe, watching Kya and Bumi."

"Why?"

"She wanted to go back home for a while…" Aang's tone had become soft as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Personally, I think she's looking for some distance."

"That's rough buddy," Zuko said sympathetically. He then asked, "Well, what are you going to do about it?"

Aang shrugged. "It's not the first time this happened so… nothing. If it simmers down then… that's great." He walked away from the mirror and over to the door.

Zuko stepped forward and stopped Aang by extending his hand out, grabbing onto his shoulder. "Aang, you know I'm here for you."

He nodded as he flashed a smile. "I'm grateful for everything you've done and I appreciate what you're trying to do, but this isn't something I wanna talk about right now." He sighed as he shrugged off Zuko's hand and looked toward the door. "I think it's time I leave."

As Aang walked away Zuko quickly followed him. "I don't think so! I believe you promised to stay for the dance!" The Fire Lord chased after the Avatar as they exited the washroom, nearly bumping into a few guests.

Aang groaned as he and Zuko slowed their pace, walking down the hall. "How did I let you talk me into doing this?"

"Aang, this event is to celebrate the United—"

"Republic of Nations' new trade policy and partnership with the Northern Water Tribe," Aang said in a mockery tone. "Believe me, I know," he added snidely. "Frankly, I don't see how food resources like fish is party worthy event."

"It's not just for _fish_ ," Zuko stated defensively. "The Northern Water Tribe has always been hard going when it comes to relations with the United Republic. They've agreed to send a representative to our council meetings, that's already a step forward."

"As opposed to agreeing to have a permanent council member?" Aang replied hastily. Zuko rose his brows in shock, causing Aang to sigh in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that… it… it is a step forward. I am relieved that they've agreed to our invitations."

Zuko laughed as he patted Aang's shoulder. He led the Avatar out the hallway and over to the stairs that led down to the ballroom. "It's okay, I get it. You're pretty stressed out. But don't leave yet, the dance is gonna start soon and besides," he gestured down to the ballroom, " _somebody_ decided to come."

Aang's face lit up as he looked down to the ballroom. Within an instant, he saw her right away. "Toph," he said with a smile. His earherbending teacher and party partner. He chuckled as he looked over to a smug Zuko. "Fine, I'll stay." He flashed a quick smile and said, "I'll see you around!" Within an instant, the Avatar was gone and had rushed down the stairs before Zuko could say anything.

The ballroom was full of tranquil music and elegant people. Banners with the Northern Warer Tribe symbol were hung across the hall as a blue themed colour coated design followed throughout the gala. Visitors from other nations were dressed with fancy gowns and elegant robes. Citizens from within Republic City were dressed in stylish tuxedos and fitted in beautiful dresses. Republic City had made a name for itself with its diverse culture. Aang could never stop being amazed with the city's citizens. The ballroom itself was beautiful. It was full of a natural air that reeked of purity. Everyone had happy faces, pleasant smiles, and cheery attitudes.

Of course, once people caught the sight of Aang they greeted him immediately. Impulsively excited tones came forth and to greet the Avatar. Each one coming to greet him business like. A few women had begun to brush up their hair and straighten up their posture, others rushed over in an instant. A few men had given him burly handshakes with a quick pat on the shoulder. It was clear that his presence always had set off a commotion.

Aang wasn't always fond of the attention, especially when it came to dances or parties. He always disliked the fact that he brought attention away from the event or people. He hated to disrupt conversations, but they seemed to dissolve themselves once he came into the picture. He desperately tried to get away from the conversations and pleasantries. Yet received no success in the end. After seven minutes, Aang finally managed to slip away from the swarm of guests.

He quickly made his way over to a nearby table. Right as Aang saw a few drinks scattered around, he did not hesitate to grab one to quench his exhausted thirst. He downed his drink and immediately waved at a waiter. "I'll have another!" He nodded and made his departure.

"Ah, one of those evenings, eh Twinkle Toes?" A voice came in from behind.

Aang's exhausted attitude faded as he found the strength to grin back at the woman behind him. "Ah, if it isn't the almighty Chief of Police. Decided to show up, huh?" he quipped as he turned around.

Toph crossed her arms as she smirked at Aang. "Ha, some people take their duties seriously Twinkle Toes."

"And I don't?" he said with a chuckle.

"Playing dress up and having fancy parties don't count as, 'duties'," Toph said with air quotes.

"Least I have the decency to wear something appropriate," Aang said pointedly, addressing the fact that she was wearing her uniform. Aang smiled back as he mimicked his earthbending teacher's stance, crossing his arms. "It's good to see you again Toph."

She scoffed as she leant against the table. Her eyes were staring toward the floor. "Don't tell me you're getting soft on me now."

"Eh, I haven't seen you in two months," Aang stated smugly, "guess I lost my tough attitude."

Toph laughed in response. " _Three_ months, and what tough attitude Twinkle Toes?" Aang rolled his eyes and sighed. He noticed the waiter returning with a tray of drinks and darting straight toward him and Toph, expertly maneuvering his way through the crowd. Right as he arrived he quickly gave the drink to Aang and disappeared in the crowd. As Aang began to sip the drink, Toph's nose wrinkled and her eyes widened as a realization set in. "Are you drinking… whiskey?"

Aang softly chuckled as he lowered his drink. "Yeah, I just need something right now."

Toph's expression remained as a she blew out the air from her cheeks. "Wow… guess you really are messed up." Aang was no stranger to alcohol, but he wasn't the type to drink it very often. He would have a glass of wine once in a while and the occasional beer, but he rarely had hard liquor. Even then, it would usually be Toph persuading him to let loose.

"Couldn't feel my vibrations from before?"

"I could feel the excitement of a Twinkly Toed Airhead fade right as a group of people swarmed him." Toph began to smile. "How was the swarm?"

"Just…" Aang sighed. "swell." Toph laughed at his comment. "Honestly, this already has been a long night and I've only been here for an hour and a half."

Toph chuckled as she rose her hand. "Can somebody get me what this lady is having?" she asked as she pointed at Aang. A nearby waiter nodded and disappeared into the crowd.

Aang ignored her joke and replied, "Rough day?"

"Rough month," Toph corrected.

Aang nodded understandingly as he sipped his drink. He lowered it and stared at Toph. "Three months?" he whispered in shock. She nodded disappointedly, her slowly. "Wow…" Aang swore that the last time he saw Toph was at most two months ago. However, her attitude caused Aang to rethink the topic more. He had to think about when and where he last saw Toph.

"Your drink, madam," a waiter had announced as he extended his tray out to her.

Toph extended her hand out toward the tray. It looked aimless in his eyes, so Aang quickly grabbed the drink out of the waiter's tray and handed it to Toph. "Thank you," Aang replied. The waiter nodded and disappeared into the crowd once again.

Toph wrapped her free arm around her chest and frowned. "Could've grabbed it myself," she muttered.

Aang shrugged. "Looked like you were about to knock over the tray, I didn't want to chance it."

Toph let out an intelligible noise before taking a sip of her drink. "So what's got you so… not you?"

Aang laughed at her word choice but understood what she meant. "Eh… Katara and I—"

"Ahh," Toph interjected with a smirk, "Say no more." Aang wasn't sure if he was suppose to take offence to that. Had his and Katara's issues become so common that Toph could easily relate to his stress? It would make sense. Aang chose to make no comment. Toph maintained her smirk and joked, "Sugar Queen brought the vinegar this week?"

Aang let a loud laugh slip, leaving him to cover his mouth in response. He slowly removed his hand as he said, "Uh… to be honest, I can't remember what we were arguing about this time. All I know is that it along the lines of me not being around when she needs me and resulted in her wanting to go to the Southern Water Tribe. She took the kids with her." He proceeded to finish his glass then play with it in his hand, tapping the glass with his index finger.

Toph seethed. "Sounds rough."

"Whatta 'bout you? How is work?" Aang asked, obviously diverting the topic.

Toph shrugged as she downed her drink. "It's been… very annoying. There's been some small gang territory nonsense on the west side of town. Don't know why, but nearly half of my police force is taking sick leave or vacation days. I can't afford not having all hands on deck."

"I can help!" Aang offered cheerfully.

"Another reason to get your mind off the missus?" Toph mused.

Shockingly enough, Aang slowly nodded. "I honestly don't mind it. Right now, I can't get a grip on things and I _need_ to take my mind off it." He puffed his cheeks and blew out his air exhaustively as he set down his empty glass onto the table behind him and Toph. "So… you up for a conversation?"

Toph smirked as she rose her hand. "Waiter, another round of whiskey!"

 _::::_

"So then what, a night of fun and I came be?" Tenon question angrily.

"Tenzin!" Pema scolded, tilting her head toward their kids.

Tenzin sighed and said, "I am sorry, but I think I have the right to be upset if I came into the world by two drunk—"

"No, it wasn't like that," Toph interrupted. "Nothing like that happened," she assured him softly. Tenzin fell silent once again, seeming like he was simmering down.

"So, were things really that bad between Aang and Katara?" Bolin asked curiously. After a few glares he shyly stated, "I'm curious!"

"Yes, they were," Toph answered. "Like I said, the love was dying out after Kya."

Kya's face lit up as if she had a come up with something. "No, hang on, Katara talked about stories of when she was in labour and was also taking care of us!"

Toph retorted, "Or did she make that up? Kids don't start to have memories around eight or nine years of age. Do you ever remember Katara being pregnant?"

Kya glanced over to Bumi, assuming the eldest would have pertained his memory the best. He shook his head and stuttered, "B–But the delivery room! Katara… went… in?"

Toph shook her head. "You weren't there. You're mind is now grabbing any semblance of what you are trying to look for. You might be confusing it with your sister's delivery, vaguely that is." A silence passed. "They brought you home," she said to Tenzin. "Kya and Bumi were tuckered out but the mere sight of you got them energized again. They were just too young to grasp the concept that you came out of nowhere. Or that I was pregnant."

Tenzin's eyes widened once again. "But… but I… am I your first born?"

Lin stared at Toph in shock as she nodded, her family ties had certainly gotten more confusing. Suyin's dad, Kanto, and now Aang, three fathers and only one she met. A sly grin had suddenly found itself on Toph's face. "Aang certainly got Rock-Like when it came to the bedro—"

"Children, Toph, there are still children here!" Korra hastily reminded her.

"And I don't need an image of my father… bedding with someone," Tenzin shuddered.

"Let alone that person being you," Lin added. Seeing that anything was on the table she then asked, "Is Aang my father?" Toph's nod made her sigh. "But wait, you said my father's name was Kanto?"

"Well… that's technically true." Lin furrowed a brow at her mother. "Kanto was a name we stumbled upon that night. Ever since, Aang used it as a code name when he sent me letters just to keep under radar."

"Letters?" Korra confirmed. "To you?"

Toph frowned at Korra as she answered, "I had my receptionist read my letters to me. Even then, Aang wrote with a heavy print and spaced out letters so I could feel the words and try to read myself. Lead as well, I somewhat sensed it."

"Huh, guess next time I'll use a code name," Asami whispered to Korra, who then laughed.

Toph frowned at the change in topic. "Moving on…"

 _::::_

"So wait, so wait," Toph asked. "You just gave him a bunch of cabbages?"

"Yup," Aang nodded. "He said he needed some and I was late for the council meeting so I just grabbed like five from a store from some dude and shoved it in his basket and went on my merry way. Didn't even hear what the clerk owner was shouting at me." He shook his head as a sigh escaped. "Last time I try to fly through the city on an air scooter."

Toph shook her head and laughed. "Never thought you could be so rude when you were in a hurry. Good for you Twinkle Toes."

Aang shrugged as he leant back. He and Toph had taken a stroll away from the party and happened upon a park bench a few blocks away from the Gala, in a small park. It was bound to happen. The two of them shared the same opinions when it came to parties like these. They always found each other during the events and took comfort in the other's company, embracing the evening with a partner. Though Toph hated attending the events slightly more than Aang, they both would complain. It was how they got by the night and how their friends would convince them to stay. Suffice to say, alcohol was added to the mix every now and then.

Both of the two were slightly over the edge of buzzed. They had lost count of the amount of drinks they had and were creating quite a scene back at the party. Aang laughed as he looked back at the moment. "So, you would you have punched that waiter back there?" he asked as he recalled the image of Toph with a half cocked fist ready to collide with an unfortunate face had Aang's firm grip not stop her.

"Twinkle Toes… is that a question you have to ask?" Toph retorted smugly.

He chuckled as he shook his head. "Ahh… well it was a good thing that I covered it up."

"It was a good thing that it was in the halls, fewer witnesses and I–I don't think everyone was paying attention," Toph slurred slowly.

Aang laughed once again. "Well, they were after you pushed the guy to the ground."

Toph laughed as well as she looked back at the moment. She remembered getting upset that the waiter had cut her off so she decided to persuade him. The confrontation resulted in Toph shoving the waiter, causing a puddle of wine and whiskey to splatter all over himself and the floor. Of course, Toph suggested drinking the contaminated liquids regardless and it was then Aang intervened, realizing they were both drunk. Zuko had appeared seconds later and Toph had ducked away to freshen up. Somehow Aang smoothed things over with Zuko.

"Wait… what did you say to Zuko after I went to the washroom?"

"I said that some random drunk guest named Kanto walked into you and caused a chain reaction of spills." Aang began to giggle alongside Toph. "I then said he bolted off after causing such a mess."

"So that's why we left in such a hurry?" Toph questioned. "'Cause Zuko was about to realize that a, 'Kanto' wasn't invited?"

Aang smirked. "Kanto was the first thing that came to mind," he explained.

Toph shrugged nonchalantly. She scooted over on the bench. "Eh, I don't care. 'S long as we don't get in trouble." Aang silently nodded in agreement with Toph. Suddenly, she leant over and rested her head on his shoulder. She comfortably sighed as she closed her eyes. Aang made no action to move because he knew Toph was about to doze off. That, and he also felt comfortable as well. It was an action they had done plenty of nights before.

After what seemed like a very long minute, Toph let out another sigh. "You _really_ need to work out your issues Twinkle Toes."

Aang closed his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. "You're not the first to remind me. It's not like I haven't been trying—"

"You offered an hour ago to ditch her and work with me."

"—I've tried to meet her halfway, so has she! But it feels pointless. We always end up arguing now," the Avatar mumbled shyly. "Just a few weeks ago she got mad that I wasn't able to watch Kya for a minute. She caught me right as I was leaving for work and _ordered_ me to watch her because she had to go to the stove or something. I told her I couldn't because I was in a hurry and got an Air Acolyte to do it instead." Aang scoffed. "Apparently that grants me a free pass to cold shoulder town for a week!"

Toph chuckled. "Some moms don't like leaving their kids with strangers."

"Shin has been a long time Acolyte and is good friends with Katara," he quickly defended. "I understand that I probably could've spared the time even though I was late, but do I really deserve a week of silence and attitude?" Before Toph could respond snidely, Aang and jumped the gun. "And–and think about the kids! Bumi doesn't understand what's going on, but he will soon and we have to resolve it by then. If separation is going to be the deciding factor then the kids will have a terrible childhood. I don't want this to impact them."

Toph took in a deep breath as she adjusted her head in Aang's shoulder. Aang had made a show of moving his shoulder around a lot. "You should talk to her," Toph suggested softly.

"You act like I haven't tried," Aang fired back as his eyes glanced down at her. Toph rose her brows in shock and made Aang frown. "I'm sorry… didn't mean to lash out at you."

"Fine, if that's how you want to play things," she said spontaneously. "What do you want to talk about? For me to get this off your mind?"

Aang mumbled, "I don't know." He thought for moment and asked, "What about what's bothering you?"

Toph easily answered, "I already told you: work."

"Eh, I don't think so," Aang argued. "Work can't annoy you for three months."

"Never said three Twinkle Toes, just that it has been three months since we last saw each other," the blind earthbender corrected.

He knew she was sort of lying. He got the sense that the three months of annoyance was true, but perhaps work wasn't the issue. Then the memory came. A golden outline of a beautiful woman in small white skirted dress with white flower patterns. "Ahh yes, Zuko's wedding," Aang said in a pleasant tone. "You looked very beautiful back there."

 _::::_

"He called you beautiful?" Jinora asked in a sweet tone of awe. Toph's face slightly became flushed leaving Jinora, Bolin, and Ikki to squeal in awe.

"Can it!" Toph shouted. "He was drunk too, remember that! So… most of the things he said came out… a little forwardish."

"By the spirits," Korra exclaimed. "Toph Bei Fong is blushing!" she shouted as she pointed a finger at Toph even though everyone was staring at her already.

"Am not!" She instantly shouted, causing the tint of red on her face to fade.

"Hang on," Tenzin interjected. "Let's not… reinforce this… this…"

"Before you finish that sentence," Toph rose her hand. "I'm going to continue telling my story…"

 _::::_

"Thanks I guess." She physically had brushed off the compliment but mentally she was alarmed. "The dress was the same one Katara made for me—the one I wore to Zuko's birthday?" Toph recalled.

"Oh… right," Aang nodded. "I… I more so meant back at the party," he jerked his thumb back behind his free shoulder, "with the radiant lights all over you—"

"Aang," Toph said firmly. She didn't like where he was going with that sentence. Part of her wanted him to finish but wasn't comfortable with where it may lead. They were under the influence and she didn't trust herself.

"Sorry," he apologized softly. He let a few seconds passed and added, "Sorry I'm not sorry for speaking the truth." His wide grin made Toph blush.

She elbowed him lightly. "Why did you bring that up?"

"That was the first party I noticed you came late and left early." Toph rose a brow, interested in where he was going with this. "When you go to parties, you start off with a beverage of some sorts, only alcohol when you are in the mood. Then you stay till dinner, because that's what also gets you to come. 'Cause everything single time you go to things like these, our friends offer you food, drinks, and a show for you to laugh at—or a favour in return. You leave usually when I leave, or when you're drunk or bored.

"That time, you didn't stay for the dance like usual. Once the ceremony was over you left. My guess is it had something to do with the love in the air. You felt outta place, like you didn't belong in the sea of married women or something like that." Aang chuckled childishly. "I'm just guessing that's what you were feeling. 'Cause I noticed your sour expression during the vows, and—"

"Well what's got ya so interested in me!" Toph barked out, pushing herself away from Aang. She ended up on the other side of the bench.

His eyes widened at her as she focused her gaze to the ground. He had hit her too accurately on the nose. Aang should have known she would have an outburst of a reaction. Regardless, he still continued his train of thought. "Uhh… I was just trying to lead on that you are beautiful, much like at the party, and you have a great personality. Just because you see something you don't have doesn't mean you won't have it eventual—"

"Yes, it does. It means _exactly_ that!" Toph shouted. Her expression had sunk into depression. "You don't get it."

Aang was alarmed that she had let out something so personal toward him. He decided to press on. "What? Was it something or someone you saw at the wedding?"

Toph replied, "It… it was something like that. Someone I saw that I… it's nothing."

Aang remained silent for a moment before pressing on. She was being open and complying. He had to approach this carefully. He began to analyze the scenery. He was the best man, Sokka was one of the groomsmen, and Katara and Toph were the bridesmaids. Aang thought of who she had seen during the vows that made her upset. It was possible the vows were a reminder of someone.

"Was it Sokka—"

"Over him _long_ time ago!"

"Zu—"

"Never!" Toph shook her head. "Aang, stop pushin'. I'm serious, 's not a big deal."

Aang scoffed as his hands fell into his lap. "I don't even need earthbending skills like yours to sense that you're lying." He opened the floor for her to respond but she chose silence. "Toph, talk to me…" She sighed aggressively. "Listen, whoever this dude is, you should probably let them know what's up before it all slips away. 'Member Sokka? You told me you never wanted something like that to happen again—"

"I regret telling you literally anything," Toph interjected with a blank face. "Besides, I've already let history repeat itself and now I'm left behind to catch the dust of something that moved faster than I could comprehend."

Aang rose his brows in shock as he took in her statement. That was a comment on a relationship. Particularly one that Toph had a chance to prevent by opening up. Now there was a scenario that was similar to her and Sokka? But after swearing to prevent a disaster like that from happening again, when did this happen? Aang was having trouble wrapping his mind around Toph's words. Something that moved faster than she was ready for.

Aang was confused with how it couldn't be Zuko. With his wedding that would definitely be off putting and sooner than most expected—which was the comment most had made. Others thought Zuko was moving fast in his relationship. But if not him, then who else could Toph perceive as going fast? Then a realization set in for Aang that caught him with wide eyes. He and Katara had Kya a year ago, so that couldn't have been fast. Yet he still had to ask.

"Wait… you're not… talking… about me, right?" There was an obvious hesitation with the question. He was worried with how the rest of the evening would play out.

Toph scoffed and blew aside a stray strand of hair. Her had slowly become a mess over the course of the evening. "It's always about you, huh Twinkle Toes?"

Aang's expression had slowly mellowed down. "Oh," he responded. "No, it's not like that, I just thought that—"

"It's always about Twinkle Toes and Sugar Queen!" Toph interrupted angrily. "Because that's _the_ _perfect_ couple. Well not everyone can be you guys."

Now the Avatar was suddenly confused as to where she was going with her train of thought. "You don't have to be—you don't need to be!" Aang hastily argued.

Toph responded, "Yeah, I know. But it doesn't matter when I actually do want what you have…"

Aang rose a brow and inquired, "What do you mean by that?"

A moment of silence passed as she straightened her posture. Her body waved around for a bit and groaned. "I… dammit I'm buzzed," Toph muttered irritably. She noticed that she was being a little too open for her usual self. "Uh… h–how much did we drink?"

Aang shrugged as he tilted his head to the right. "Um," he rose his hand up and began counting his fingers. "Like, six? Maybe seven? Why?"

"'Cause since we're both lightweights, I'm willing to bet most of what we talked about has already gone to waste because of tomorrow's hangover." Toph had a smug grin on her face as she glanced over to Aang's direction.

"What? No… I'm not that drunk," Aang said defensively.

Toph scoffed as she scooted forward. "Whatever you say Twinkle Toes." Her head tilted up and her blind eyes met his Gray. "You want your answer? You want to know what I wish I had?" Aang did not dare to answer, in fear of having to deal with a drunk earthbender. Something about Toph's confrontation seemed strange, as if there was a bit of nervousness and hesitation coming from her. But before he knew it, Toph had leant forward and attacked his lips.

She had him locked in her lips. Showing no sign of releasing him from her warmth. Much to her surprise, Aang gave into the kiss immediately. Once his wide eyes slowly closed, he wrapped his arms around her while she cupped his face. There was a sweet, soft taste to Toph's lips. He was entranced by her touch. Her hands which had always seemed so strong and firm, had suddenly felt soft and warmful—almost welcoming. Everything about Toph just seemed right at that moment. The kiss that had lasted ten seconds, had been the longest ten seconds in Aang's life.

Toph however, melted into it. She had meant for a quick peck and that would be all. But once she felt his lips, she never wanted to leave. She wanted to stay near him for an eternity. But it wasn't like that, their moment had come to an end sooner than Toph wanted, and sooner that Aang would care to admit. A sudden noise of a click echoing from the distance had set off Toph's instincts. She pushed herself away, gasping for air as she scanned the scenery. She swore she heard—

"…Toph…" Aang said breathlessly, "I… you… we…"

Toph nervously looked back at Aang. She realized she hadn't thought that far ahead and had no idea what to say next. None of that mattered sadly, because of what they heard next.

"Whoa! The Avatar and Chief Bei Fong are dating?"

 _::::_

"From there it began, the pathway of one of the worst lies." Toph sighed heavily. Everyone remained silent, still trying to comprehend the situation. They all couldn't believe it but Toph's tone had really set them straight. She had meant it through and through, and gave off no intention of otherwise.

"You… you loved Aang?" Suyin asked softly.

Toph nodded as she glanced up from the fire, staring right at Korra. Though it wasn't accurate, it was clear that she was looking at Korra. "And I still do Twinkle Toes," she added in a hoarse voice. Everyone's eyes widened at her words. "Now, make no mistake, I am sorry for keeping this from you, it's one of the biggest regrets I have in my life. But you have no right to assume that I never felt something for him." Everyone remained silent as they stared at Toph. "Now, as I was saying, we were seen by people at the park. Now a few rumours could've easily been squashed out but it wasn't just a few witnesses, a photo was taken."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Lemme know your opinions. Please, review, follow, and favourite! Hope you enjoyed!_**

 ** _Until next time..._**

 ** _—Bleh_**


	3. Pressing Matters

Aang woke up with a headache. Right as his eyes fluttered open his head began to pound. He instantly sat up in his bed and groaned. "Ahh, dammit," he muttered. He held his head with his right hand as he stumbled off the bed, barely landing on his feet. "Why do I feel so…" Suddenly, he recalled an image of Toph leaning toward him. "Oh… that… that happened…" A smile formed on his lips as he sighed recalled her taste. "That happened!" Aang exclaimed in shock.

He slowly walked straight out of his room and down the halls. He was pondering the event more and more as he trekked on, but their was an obvious look of contemplation on his face. Acolytes he passed gave him weird looks and concerned stares. It was then Aang stopped in his tracks as he arrived right before the dining room. "Wait, why?" He shook his head as he stepped toward the door. He was left wondering why something like that had happened. It then became obvious he didn't remember much of the night—not all at once at least. For some reason he had a burning excitement filling inside him and he had no idea why. Was it because he now had a longing for her lips? Or that deep down he really wanted to kiss Toph? He wasn't sure of what it had meant, but Aang was certain that he had enjoyed it. He slid the door open and walked inside greeting the Acolyte.

"Morning, Avatar Aang," he greeted. "You sure got up late this morning."

"Morning Shin," Aang replied calmly, attempting to compose himself. "Yes, the, uh—party kept me up late."

Shin nodded with a playful smile. "Mmhm, I know." He began to walk toward the exit.

Aang knelt down at the table. He noticed everything set up and smiled. "Thank you Shin, but you didn't have to do this." There was a plate of salad before him with green tea beside it.

"It wasn't a hassle at all," he assured him. "I even managed to get you the paper!" he added as he exited the room.

Aang shouted, "Thank you!" He took a sip of his drink right as he picked up the newspaper. Though that sip of tea immediately had gone to waste due to Aang's reaction of the front line. Tea was splattered all over the room, while Aang sat in shock. He couldn't believe the front line:

 _Avatar and Chief of Republic City Police Dating?_

The picture underneath was of him and Toph, sat at the park bench kissing. The range of the photo was fairly far, because the photographer was no doubt hiding whilst taking the photo. Aang shook his head in disbelief as he muttered, "That happened." He could not remember the night as much as he wanted to. Some bits were missing. He could recall arriving at the Northern Tribe Celebration party, and could remember meeting Toph and Zuko for a short time—but that was all. Had he seen Sokka? Was Sokka there?

Aang dismissed the last thought as he remembered all council members attended. Aang knew that much at least. Why was Toph the only the he could recall? He glanced down and saw the photo. Aang mentally face palmed as he forgot that she was the one he kissed. Or, the one who kissed him rather. Aang sighed as he actually palmed his face. He began to rub his temple as he tried to recall everything. It was clear to him that she kissed him.

But nothing else came to mind. Not the important parts. Yet, anything Toph said was easily remembered. They talked about her work, about her personal life and how she was upset that she wasn't doing anything. Then she pushed over a waiter. Aang smiled once again as he recalled the moment. Aang had ranted on about how Katara was keeping her distance and that he couldn't think of a way to make it up to her—or if he was really willing to. He could not remember the base of their argument earlier that week but he knew that he wasn't at fault. That was how he saw it.

Then their conversation shifted onto how Toph was upset with how her life turned out. Aang couldn't understand how someone like Toph could be unsatisfied with how her life was going. She created metalbending, she created a school for metalbenders, and she was the self proclaimed world's greatest earthbender. But, after a few several shots and a shove later, they were at the bench, judging their and each other's lives.

Then she kissed him. Though Aang smiled and daydreamed about the kiss, part of him really wanted to know why it happened. " _You want to know what I wish I had?"_ Aang's eyes widened as the memory came to him. She liked him. If there was anyway Toph could be more indirectly straightforward, it would be like that. But still, Aang had to make sure of one thing.

He rushed out of the dining room—forgetting all about his meal—and over to the call centre of the Air Temple. Right as he grabbed the phone he quickly dialled Zuko's office number, knowing he'd be at City Hall. He heard the ringing and impatiently waited.

" _Councilman Zuko's receptionist speaking—"_

"Get me Zuko please!"

" _Avatar Aang? Oh, uh, please hold."_

A moment of silence passed before Zuko picked up. _"Aang?"_

"Zuko, I—"

" _Where did you go last night! What happened? Right after I learned that Kanto wasn't invited, you and Toph were gone!"_ His tone wasn't pleased. Aang could feel the spit and fiery breath from his end.

"I know, listen I—"

" _Then I find out the morning after that you two were off making out! I had to find out from the paper Aang, the paper!"_

"Zuko, I'm sorry—"

" _Why are you apologizing to me? What about Katara? What is she going to think?"_

Aang's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't thought about that at all. He forgot about Katara and what she would think. Aang shook his head in disbelief as he face palmed himself. He forgot about his wife. What kind of a husband was he? He made sure not to react to give Zuko the impression he had forgotten. Then, a realization dawned on him that made him smile. Out of the inconvenience of the situation, Aang realized he had time.

"She doesn't come back in a week and a half," Aang said aloud, "I can smooth things over with the press and ask them not to do broadcasts about us."

" _Wow, and you're not going to be honest with her?"_

Aang awkwardly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, I was kinda talking to myself there. But that's not the point! Uh, I wanted to ask you about Toph's whereabouts. Do you know if she is still in the city?" Toph had been on and off with her police duties. She was in the city every now and then but never stayed for a long time. No doubt when in the three months he and Toph hadn't seen each other, Toph was also out of town for a good portion of it. Of course in a scenario like this, Aang suspected she might have fled the city to avoid the heat.

" _She's still in town, yeah. But Aang—"_

"Thanks Zuko, bye!" Aang hung up the phone and dashed out the room. He quickly made his way to the courtyard. However, during his run he noticed the stares of a few Acolytes who had obviously seen the paper. Now the only airbender in the entire world had a reputation for being a player amongst the acolytes. Not a good image to have as an air nomad. He wondered what monk Gyatso would think of him now. As soon as he made it outside he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Appa!"

The roar of a bison had echoed across the island, and grew louder as its source neared Aang's position. Right as the air bison landed, Aang hopped right onto Appa. "Yip, yip," Aang ordered as he grabbed the reigns of the bison. Appa quickly rose to the sky once again. "We're heading straight to the Police Station, bud." Appa roared in response.

Within minutes, Aang and Appa had landed at the station. Several onlookers and officers looked in awe as they saw Appa plant his feet firmly on the ground. Even before Appa landed, Aang had hopped off him, utilizing a twirl of air to soften his landing. He looked directly at the police station and calmly walked straight toward the entrance. He ignored the stares of everyone passing by. Before, if he had popped right outside the station—or any other building for that matter—there would be stares of awe and whispers of interest. It was the opposite this time. Aang tried hard to ignore the gossip and rumours of the people staring at him.

"I heard they had sex…"

"I bet he made the first move…"

"Wait, isn't he still married to Katara?"

"It's an affair…"

Aang took a deep breath as he entered the building. He let out an exhausted sigh as he walked through the rest of the station, thinking the worst part was over. He shouted at the front desk he was going to see Toph and offered no chance for the receptionist to argue. Once he entered the offices, he received a room full of stares. Aang mentally sighed as he had to take another walk of shame. Few officers began to smile at the fact that Aang was a player. He recognized the nods of approval. Others gave him disappointed looks and looked in shock that someone like the great Avatar would cheat on his wife.

"Sir! Sir!" The receptionist shouted as he chased after Aang. "I–I don't think that's a good idea. She's not in a… good mood—"

"I don't care," Aang replied as he arrived at the door.

The receptionist stuck out his hand to halt Aang as he opened the door to Toph's office. He poked his head in and said, "Chief Bei Fong?"

"What!" she barked as she slammed her telephone on her table. "Whatever it is, it can wait Hisho!" Toph had narrowed her brows challengingly at her receptionist. Her expression slightly softened as she recognized the pair of footprints out the door.

"Uhh, sorry but it's—"

"An issue!" Aang shouted as he pushed the door open, causing Hisho to fall over. Aang glared at Toph as he said, "We _need_ to talk."

Right as Hisho propped himself up Toph sighed angrily. "Hisho, leave, _now_!" He was gone within an instant and the door closed shut behind him. "Listen Twinkle Toes, I _really_ don't have time to deal with this! I have a ton of cases to look over, a debriefing with a few of my detectives, and now I have to deal with this news scandal!"

"Well I didn't have a good morning either. I woke up with a little hangover," Aang said with a soft tone. He brought his hand up to his head and began massaging it. "Come to think of it, I haven't really done anything about it yet."

"Aww, how sad—I woke up with one too!" Toph fired back hotly.

"One of my acolytes got me the paper and I had to find out from there."

Toph frowned. "That's sounds like a relaxing and disappointing discovery."

"Actually Toph I came to tell you—"

"I don't give a damn Twinkle Toes!" Toph shouted. "I'm blind! I didn't find out until I got here! And I found out by my receptionist who was gossiping! How do you think I felt—" she stopped herself and flared her brows, causing Aang to flinch. She walked over to where he was stood leaving him to shake in place, in fear of offending/angering her. She brushed by him and opened the door, causing three officers to fall face first onto the floor and several others to back away from the doorway. Aang was surprised to see that some cops had the nerve to eavesdrop on Toph Bei Fong. "Work, _now_! Or you're fired!" Suddenly the office became barren with officers, only a few staying behind but were working at their desks. They had kept their stares straight down at their work. Toph shut the door and sighed whilst she walked over to her desk.

"Can I speak now?" Aang asked slowly.

"What, Twinkle Toes?" Toph spat out.

"I liked the kiss," Aang replied softly. Toph's vibrations gave her away despite her angered look. He wasn't good at sensing vibrations like Toph, but he had felt a huge spike come from her. The spike of emotion gave him courage to continue. "I… I really liked it. It felt so nice. I loved every second of it—though how long it was actually was vague to me."

A moment of silence passed, creating awkward tension between the two. Aang was kinda hoping along with her vibrations she would have a better reaction aside from her blank face. Toph shook her head slowly and scoffed. "So you came all this way to tell me that you liked it? Seriously Twinkle Toes?"

Aang shrugged shyly. "I dunno. Just, after weeks of annoyance and constant stress everything has felt… strange. But that kiss wasn't."

"I thought you were having a good time working with the other acolytes from the other temples."

"You know that wasn't what I was talking about."

"Aang," Toph said in a faint tone, "Please don't tell me you're considering an…" her voice fell into a whisper, "affair?"

Aang chuckled as he shook his head. "Y–no… I…" Aang fell silent as he couldn't find the words. The issue was he knew what the words were but he didn't have the courage to say them. "Alright, so the White Lotus has all its council members meeting in the Earth Kingdom. And Katara isn't coming back for another week and a half."

Toph obviously realized he had dodged her question. It was a maneuver that worried her but she went along with the moment. "Okay, so that should be enough time to squash this out." Toph cleared her throat and straightened herself up. Her gaze had lowered back to the floor. "So, what do you propose?"

"I can try to smooth things over with the press and ask them not to broadcast this across the world," Aang answered. "So far, I think it's been kept to Republic City."

"Seriously Twinkle Toes? Asking?" Toph shook her head in disappointment. "That's not going to be enough."

"Well you got anything?"

Toph smirked deviously as she punched her palm and cracked her knuckles. "I've got persuasion."

Aang chuckled at Toph's aggressive response. He obviously knew that her methods weren't going to cut it. He stared at her eager expression and smiled. Something about her excitement to pound some skulls got Aang to smile. Then he noticed she was blushing, just slightly. He was actually surprised to see her flushed. It must have been just the thought of the entire ordeal. Aang assumed she felt uncomfortable with what she did last night or actually enjoyed it. One or the other. But she did instigate it so she would've enjoyed it. The question was why would she do it? Aang sighed before asking, "Can you tell me what happened last night?"

"What?" Toph said in surprise as she glanced up at the Avatar.

"I just want to know what happened last night, because—"

Toph was quick with the draw. "After we kissed a news reporter with a camera saw us from the distance—he was from the gala. Guess on his way home he saw us and seized the opportunity. I gave chase, tried to catch him but he was like half a block away and by the time I moved, he bolted. Everyone else who saw immediately ran at the sight of me chasing someone." Toph sunk down in her chair. "He must've ducked away in an alley or something. When I came back you were gone so I went home. Then I woke up the morning after forgetting it all."

"Toph, I meant the kiss."

Her blush grew brighter as her brows rose in shock. She lowered her gaze again and propped her arms up, folding them into each other and using them to cover her mouth. "Aang…" she said softly. "We were drunk."

"We were just buzzed," Aang corrected. "If anything, I remember you using that to your advantage—thinking I'd forget." He chuckled as he walked forward. "But there is no way I'm forgetting _that_ ," he said as he sat down on the seat across her.

Toph shook off her blush and glanced up to Aang. "Yeah, okay, we were buzzed and we kissed, so? That's what happens when you're under the influence." Toph's frown grew into a smirk.

"Toph, you rem—"

"Wait that's it! We just tell them we were under the influence!" Toph shouted. "Then we get those twerps of the media to take down our photos and make sure they don't make it out of Republic City!"

"That won't be enough," Aang argued, "and you know that. People might interpret their own conclusions unless we give them a reason not to, which would be giving them the full story." She scoffed back as she leant into her seat, and let her arms fall down to her armrests. "Toph, you remember the context of it, right?" She remained silent. "You were trying to tell me something and kissed me. _You_ _kissed me_!" Aang shouted in shock. "We kissed! I wasn't repulsed or disgusted, I enjoyed it. It felt great! But I want to know, I _need_ to know—did it mean what I think it meant?"

Toph responded, "Twinkle Toes, if you're not going to be serious then we won't get anywhere with this issue."

"Why won't you answer the question?"

"Why won't you let it go!"

"Because I liked it!" Aang shouted back, "And you know this!" Toph's expression had sunk into a frown as her lip began to quiver. "Now I just need to know… did that kiss mean what I think it meant? Did you really mean it?"

Toph sighed as she mustered the courage to rise her head. Even though eye contact wasn't necessary for her, she stared at Aang's chest, not daring for him to meet her eyes. "If I say yes… will you do what I think you'll do?" she had asked with a tone of hesitation.

"I…" Aang paused and thought more about what she meant. "I… I don't know…"

"Twinkle Toes… I can't… I don't want this to ruin everything." Toph bit her lip and rose her head a bit more, staring into his gray eyes.

Aang looked at her and was lost in her complexion. The sun shined through the blinds behind her and gave her a more radiant glow. Her hair looked absolutely stunning. Then the words slipped out, "You… look… beautiful."

Toph's eyes widened and her brows rose. Her flushed face had returned, growing slightly redder and she didn't know what to do with herself. Her hands clenched onto her armrest whilst she tried to find the words. "Sh… shut up Aang! A–Answer my question properly!" It was obvious the sudden compliment had caught her off guard.

"Toph, I… I think you know my answer," Aang said with a smile.

"No, you… and Katara—you're being reckless!" Toph's shout came out more like a childish whine. Aang shook his head in disagreement and rose up from his seat, eyeing her. He slowly walked around her desk and over to her right. Toph felt more uncomfortable the closer her got. She had no idea what his intentions were. He stopped before her and grabbed her chair, quickly slinging it around to have her face him. She could feel his eyes gaze upon hers and his breath chaff down her body. "A–Aang?" she said nervously.

"Toph, this… I don't know how to describe this feeling but I know it's putting me on the right track. For so long, I've been searching for something else to complete me but with Katara—I just can't describe—"

"Aang, please, don't do this," Toph whispered.

"I… I know I shouldn't but… I kinda want t—"

"But you're married! You shouldn't want this!"

"Fine, just tell me! What did that kiss mean! Did that mean…" his voices trailed off as he waited for her to piece together the rest. He knelt down and monitored her expression more carefully.

"What do you think Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked in a soft voice as she smiled faintly. Aang's eyes widened and a surge of excitement had been sent throughout his body. "'what I wish I had?'" she quoted in a mumble.

Aang smiled and leaned forward, bracing himself for another kiss. He moved closer to her lips, thus rising the tension between them. Cupping her cheeks with his hands, he pulled himself closer. Their lips slowly touched and the warmth had returned. Both had gave into the kiss, melting in each other's embrace. But it hadn't lasted long as Toph suddenly pushed Aang away, startling him. He stumbled on his feet but managed to rise straight up.

"Stop it!" Toph shouted, though the blush on her face had softened the command.

Aang looked at her in shock. "B–But I thought that…"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we should just…" her flush had faded slightly as she began to compose herself. "kiss," she whispered.

"Oh," Aang responded.

"Dang it Aang, you're married! You are the Avatar and I am the Chief of Police. This… this thing?" she gestured between herself and Aang. "It can wait till _after_ we settle our public scandal." Toph awkwardly blew out the air from her cheeks and scratched her hair. "I mean—trust me—I… I _really_ want to talk about it but…"

"I understand…" Aang sighed.

"So, with…" Toph cleared her throat. "that out of the way, we should figure out how to solve our issue," Toph reminded him. "The press is the main issue. We need to figure out how to neutralize the press and media's influence."

"Yeah, but what influence do we really have? People like us are perfect news stories," Aang pointed out tiredly.

"Yeah, I've already had interview requests, they're all desperate for the, 'scoop'." Toph scoffed as she looked down to the floor. "I'm trying to get these chumps together just to shut down their theories."

"Like a public press conference?"

Toph smirked. "Exactly. Right outside this police station, home turf!" she shouted excitedly. "Then I'm going to shut down their lewd ideas."

"Well, we should both get our story straight," Aang added. "We were both drunk," he began.

"Oh? And what happened to buzzed?" Toph teased.

"You kissed me," he quipped back.

"Shut it Twinkle Toes," she frowned.

Aang chuckled triumphantly as he smiled. He then began to stroke his small beard as he thought more about his solution. "Still, what am I going to say to the White Lotus and Katara?"

"Beats me, that's a _you_ problem." Toph shrugged.

Aang frowned as he glanced over to Toph. "We're in this together Toph." She chuckled as she nodded. "I think we can keep Katara out of the loop but the White Lotus will no doubt find out."

Toph's eyes widened and an excited grin grew across her face. "That's it then! We should tell them!"

Aang returned Toph's look of excitement with pure horror. "What? No! Why would we do that? That's _exactly_ what I'm trying to avoid!"

"But maybe we shouldn't avoid it," Toph countered smugly. "I mean, the White Lotus has pull. You're their puppet," Aang opened his mouth to object but Toph continued, "so of course they're going to try to keep you in the good public light! They'll squash this out better than we could!"

"And if it doesn't work that way?"

"What's the worst they could do to you? You are the Avatar for Spirits sake. If anything, they are just your advisors and they need you." Toph's smug smile remained.

Aang sighed in defeat as he realized her good points. "Fine… give me your phone."

 _::::_

"How bad was this falling out?" Tenzin asked softly. "Was it really _that_ bad? Dad and M—Katara had always talked about their stories, seeming like the perfect couple."

"Well," Kya joined in, "the only story they told about their relationship was the end of the Hundred Year War. You know, when they finally got together? They didn't really tell us about the marriage life, only that Aang proposed to Katara at the Southern Air Temple." Kya's recollection of the story caused Tenzin to sigh. His siblings had memories of a different childhood from him. "Most of their stories about each other were just about how they met and things that happens during the war."

"Exactly, there really wasn't much they said about their lives because they didn't feel like talking about it," Toph explained, "Besides, their relationship was… complicated."

"How?" nearly everyone asked.

Toph scoffed. "To cut it short, their relationship wasn't really healthy from the start. When Aang first came into this new world he didn't really know much, but Katara was there for him. She was the first one to be there for him. In his toughest of times she would be there for him. He admired her for that. He admired her."

"So?" Tenzin pressed on.

"Admiration is very different from love itself." Toph sighed tiredly. "To admire someone, it means to idolize them. It's basically like acknowledging someone for their greatness. He admired her, you could say he adored her, but that's never enough to love someone. To love someone, it would be like giving a part of yourself. You would have to actually be in love."

"She was destined to fall in love with a powerful bender," Jinora joined in. Tenzin flared a brow at her to which she nervously said, "Gran-Gran's story. Or I guess, Katara's story. She… told me once…" She timidly looked down as she understood her father's discomfort.

"Yeah, well, falling in love with someone doesn't mean that the love will be forever lasting," Toph retorted snidely. "In the end, it was a fortune that could only predict so far into the future. They did get married and there… there was love. Besides… who's to say Aang still didn't… like her," she whispered softly. "But no, his admiration wasn't enough to last them. Right as they got their happily ever after Aang realized it was more so Katara's destiny. He wasn't really sure what was left for him. And with them getting married and having kids, the reality of it was them trying to maintain a connection. Their thinking was that another addition would bring back the love.

"It didn't. Because he didn't really love her. I don't think she did either. Their love wasn't enough. Because love is something that motivates you to do something, it drives you to do things for each other. You give them half of yourself, because their half suddenly becomes part of you. You share one mind, one body, and you understand each other inside and out." Toph's voice had begun to choke up. "You love each other despite your… flaws…" Tears began to swell up in her eyes. "And sometimes, your love can make up for those flaws…" Toph sniffed.

"Toph," Korra spoke up. "Do you… do you need a minute?" she asked quietly.

Toph shook her head as she wiped away her tears. "I'm fine. I'm… I'm fine…"

Tenzin stared at Toph for a good minute, observing her expression. There was a pain in her voice as she talked about him and a soft edge that represented her discomfort. She was hurting, but in a way none of them had ever witnessed before. She was letting out 55 years of bottled up pain. But regardless of how he or she or anyone felt, it was obvious that the truth was here. Tenzin asked distantly, "You… you really loved each other?"

Toph nodded with a smile. "We didn't have much time, but under different circumstances, we would have had a happy life. Just the comfort of knowing we were together was enough, but to have a full life would've… it would have been nice. Even then, there was that one year—"

"Dad went away on a trip," Bumi recalled in shock. He rose his head and looked over to Toph. "He… he brought Tenzin along, even though he was six."

"We wanted some time together," Toph explained, "Aang made up some nonsense that he had to be away for a full year to show Tenzin the Air Temples." The old earthbender sighed once more as she glanced up from the fire. Everyone was still processing the information, but Toph had to progress. "But anyways, back to the story!" she announced awkwardly. A sniff escaped and she sighed. She too wasn't ready to go back to thoughts like those. "Aang contacted the White Lotus and they weren't pleased. The council members had to dissolve the public meeting to have a private one. Once they came to a resolution they quickly contacted Republic City's newscasters, reporters, basically anyone with a microphone, and paid off the big shot executives."

"Just like that?" Kya asked.

"Yup, easily. The broadcasts about us didn't happen and none of it made it outside Republic City—aside from gossip but no one believed that. All that was left was to have a public press conference outside the police station, and we did."

 _::::_

"We were under the influence, and were not thinking straight." Toph's speech had entranced most of the media so far. Few of the media weren't actually paid off, but those who were actually paid off showed up just to get the truth of the story and publish the truth alone. "Furthermore, there was no case of a sexual interaction, aside from the one kiss alone. We both awoke in our own respective homes, and can recall the night entirely. We _did_ _not_ have sex," she stated aggressively. Toph cleared her throat and added, "Now, some words from the Avatar."

Aang proudly stepped up to the pedestal, smiling at Toph as he passed, but she kept her expression neutral. As he stepped up, the crowd had roared while reporters rose their mics closer to the stand, despite the meter distance. He rose his hand and the crowd slowly silenced. He lowered his hand down to the stand and profoundly spoke, "I would like to add, that this was a mistake and not one that we should look at under a different light. We all have our mistakes but we can choose to learn from this. I know it isn't a common mistake, but plenty of us have made mistakes whilst under the influence of alcohol, am I right?" he prompted the crowd, earning a group chuckle with a few hearty laughs.

"Point being, we all have made or will make mistakes like these, but we cannot judge others in this. This is was a foolish and immature evening, and heed my advice when I tell you…" he paused as he gazed upon the entire crowd, looking at nearly every single individual. Reporters were at the ready with microphones, tightening their grips. "Know your limits when it comes to alcohol," Aang said with a smile. Nearly the entire crowd roared with laughter, along with a few policemen who had chuckled. Toph just sighed in disgust. "Thank you all for coming, and I wish you the best of luck, bye!" He waved and walked away from the pedestal, tuning out the applause.

As soon as he stopped before Toph, she laughed at him. "That was such a dumb joke Twinkle Toes. But it seems like they bought the truth."

Aang shrugged as he smugly said, "Public relations is my specialty." He and Toph began to walk back inside the station. He waited for the officers around him to pass, just until they had enough privacy. He grabbed her shoulder and whispered, "Can we talk in private?"

She sensed his distress and nodded slowly. "My office." They hurriedly made their way up through the station and over to Toph's office. Just before they could enter, someone stepped forward.

"Hey, uh, Chief," the officer spoke up. "Is that really all that happened?" The entire office froze and everyone stared at him in shock.

Toph glanced over to his direction as a smirk grew on her face. "I don't know Officer Heik, few glasses of whiskey ever persuade you do something dumb?" Before he could respond Toph chimed in with a retort, "How about you tell me your thoughts after you finish the extra two hours on your patrol?"

Heik sighed as he effortlessly saluted Chief Bei Fong. "Yes sir!"

Right as he began to walk away, Toph shouted, "Better yet, tell me through your patrol summary!" Toph turned back to her door and unlocked it.

Aang muttered, "You sure are an intimidating woman."

Toph smiled at Aang's comment as she pushed open the door. She walked over to her desk and sat down. Aang followed inside and closed the door behind him, then proceeded to make his way over to the chairs placed in front of Toph's desk. He sat in the one to the right and smiled at Toph, who gave him a curious brow. She impatiently tapped her desk as she waited for Aang to say something. He was sat there staring at her and making her feel more uncomfortable. Toph hated the dumb grin he had and knew there was some annoying thoughts behind it. After a few seconds, she broke, "Well?" Aang rose his brow in curiosity with his head rested in the palm of his right hand. "Are you going to say something or just keep staring at me?"

Aang's hand fell down into his lap as he immediately responded, "Oh, right! So… earlier, when we were talking about our feelings and…" He coughed, "kissing." Toph frowned, sensing where he was going. "You said that once we settle our issue with the photo, we could… finish our conversation."

Toph let out an irritated sigh as she face palmed. "I…" then an idea occurred. "But we haven't resolved it yet!"

Aang's brows rose in shock. "We haven't?"

"No, because Katara!" Toph stated obviously. "What are you going to tell her?"

"Nothing," Aang muttered. Toph's eyes widened. "The news hasn't gotten out of Republic City, and most definitely has not reached the Southern Water Tribe. She… she doesn't know and it's better to keep it that way. I decided it would be best."

"Aang… you need to be honest," Toph advised.

He smiled at her. "Fine… why don't you start then?" She frowned. "Toph, I just want to know your feelings. How long have you felt this—"

"It started after the Black Sun Invasion," Toph mumbled. She knew he was a persistent person and thought it was best to confess straight on now. Aang's eyes widened at the thought that it had been so long ago. "Those days around the Western Air Temple were fun, but it wasn't until you and I just messed around during training, when I realized I enjoyed your company. Remember how training sometimes shifted into just talking, basically about anything? It felt nice, to have someone to talk to who wasn't in their sixties and was my age. But it just stayed there—friend to best friend, nothing more. Only until after you went missing, and Zuko proved to be a horrible conversationalist—"

"What?"

"Another story," Toph dismissed. "When you went and found that Lion Turtle thingy, I was getting worried that the Avatar had truly disappeared and the world might have been in danger. I missed you. I missed having a Twinkly Toed Airhead around and was worried that our last moment together was just me and everyone else laughing at you because you couldn't kill someone." She kept her gaze toward her desk full of paperwork, not daring to look Aang in the eye even though it wasn't much of a necessity. "I know, pretty strange feelings for someone who just saw you on a friendship level. Soon after, Iroh had told us to be there for you, I knew that you still had a fighting chance and I would be there to help. But just hearing Sokka describe your battle with Ozai, feeling the heat of fire launch across the sky, the earth shake and rumble—I was amazed with how powerful you were. I fully believed in your abilities and trusted you with the weight of the world on your shoulders.

"I then realized—after you beat Ozai—that even with all that power and with such a heavy burden, you were still care free happy kid who was willing to do whatever it took to make everyone, including yourself, happy." Toph sighed. "Normally I'd laugh at someone with such a strong ideal. But you were different. Just because I knew you well, I also started to… love that side of you. I love the caring person you are. Even then, you were the one who came to me when you needed a teacher! You came to me and I… I was grateful. I left home for you, to be with you—just not in the way I thought. In a way, you rescued me and gave me a home with you. I am grateful for what you've done for me because it got me here. I love who you are." A frown appeared in her face. "But, I guess me contemplating my love for you took so long that it was far too late before I could do anything about it."

"Because Katara and I got together," Aang added shyly. "Like… like she promised. After the war."

Toph scoffed. "I… I didn't know what to do. It was the first time I felt so strongly about someone. I wasn't sure if I should've still told you or not. I chose not to because I felt your heart soar Aang. You really love her."

"I… I don't know how I feel now…" Aang muttered as he shrugged. It was the truth obviously. Not just because Aang had been contemplating the idea of his and Katara's relationship for months. It was just because he knew this wasn't loyalty. He broke his vows and his promise to his wife, and now he had to make sure he learned something from it.

"Point being, I tried to forget about you two. But dammit, you had to be the Avatar, so I heard about you _everywhere_." Toph chuckled, Aang smirked at her enlightened expression. "I guess over the years I… I finally let it go… but I guess last night's ordeal proves otherwise, huh?" Aang briefly laughed, but then chose to suppress his laughter due to Toph's blank expression. "Honestly… I do love you. I know it wasn't the same as me liking Sokka because Sokka didn't make me feel this way. I still love you… but I've come to terms with you and Katara." Aang frowned at Toph. "And I can't believe I'm saying this but, you should too."

Aang sighed as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. He said in a soft voice, "I… I want to say, that you are what I need. I say want because I know you don't really want me to… say it. I've been going through a lot of garbage recently but talking to you, being with you and… the… ' _you know'_ —it all felt right. You get me, you know how to push me. You are willing to say what's on your mind when you need to and you're not afraid to do it when you know it's what I need." He beamed a smile at her. "You taught me how to be tough and strong—Rock-like." Toph chuckled. "I saw you as a very… very close friend who I could escape with. Whenever the world was too much or whenever Zuko's parties turned out to be lame, I had you to ride out the worst. You and I always sneak away from the parties and would talk out on our own. Because we enjoyed confiding in each other—we both feel safe in each other's presence."

Toph decided to stop him from continuing, she had to remind both herself and him. "Aang, I… I am amazed to hear this from you but you know you are with Katara, right?" She waited for a response but received nothing. "You're still with Katara. You and her are married, you have two kids! You can't throw this all away because—"

"I finally found what I need?" Aang interjected. She stared at him in shock. That had came out too quick and worried her. "Looking back at this, I'm still with Katara because she wants to make it work. Since she is still trying I am going to try too. I'll stop trying when she does because I am willing to do that for her. But… I haven't really gotten much in return. I don't blame her as well because she doesn't really get how to please me—not in a dirty way."

Toph laughed. "Of course not. You have two kids, she must be doing something right."

"Point is!" Aang said hastily. "Our love is… dying out… I think what happened between you and me really helped me understand what I need." He chuckled as he straightened himself up. "I know this is going to sound cheesy, but fate brought me to you so I could rescue you, not just so you could teach me. It brought me to you and I'm glad to have met you. Now, in this time of me needing something for myself and needing something different, I really needed something to let me understand myself more! And I meet you at the party, _just_ as I was about to leave."

"Ugh…" Toph groaned. "Destined to be, eh?"

Aang laughed as he shrugged. "We'll see."

The two stared at each other, smiling. Toph's eyes were staring toward Aang's chest while Aang met her eyes. She looked beautiful. She had aged well. She had the same spunky attitude that Aang always loved. Toph only sighed because she knew Aang was admiring her. She disliked how he was admiring her and nothing else. She let him stare for a minute before doing anything. "Twinkle Toes, you know how I feel about looks and—"

"I know, I know, but it doesn't help that you look amazing." Aang grinned childishly. Toph rose a brow in curiosity. It might have been further than admiration, but she wasn't sure. It was all still new. "So, what do you want to do? Lunch?"

Toph frowned at Aang. "Seriously? I'm working Aang."

"Oh, right," Aang nodded. "Uhh… lemme know when you're free, we should try having lunch or dinner together."

Toph sighed. "Aang, listen, as nice as this is I don't want to do anything with Katara still around, I don't want to make you look bad in her eyes. I don't want an affair. That isn't fair to her and… I don't want anything to happen between us just because we kissed. I want something real."

"But I can give you real!" Aang pleaded. "Trust me Toph, I… I want to try this. But, I'll only do it on your terms. So if you want to wait and take things slow than consider it done." Toph smiled at that notion. "Just know that… I am willing to make an effort." He rose up and out of his seat and proceeded to walk over to Toph.

She stood up and faced him as he arrived before her. Right as he took a step forward, Toph stuck out her hand, stopping Aang. "No more kisses," she ordered. "Those… last two were just… we let those slide." Aang chuckled as he brushed aside a strand of Toph's hair, allowing him to caress her cheek. "Right now, we're a bit of a mess. We should…" whatever Toph was about to say was lost on her as Aang cupped her cheek, leaned forward, and kissed her.

It had caught her off guard, but she still gave in. She immediately entangled her arms around his neck while his fingers ran through her hair. This time, he was aggressive. The warmth of his lips hadn't lasted long as she felt his mouth open slightly. His tongue had slipped through and stopped at her lips, requesting entry. She had granted access, and the two began battling tongues for a moment. They were together for that moment, embracing each other. No matter how wrong it felt, how deceitful it seemed, Aang thought it was worth it. It was a knock on the door that had interrupted their intimate moment.

Toph pushed Aang away long before he reacted. He stared at Toph in shock as he realized he was suddenly against the wall of her office. He then glanced over to the door in fear of the person coming in. Aang had no idea what had come over him. Toph cleared her throat and wiped her mouth as she tried to recognize to the person outside the door. "Uh, come in Hisho."

The door opened and Hisho awkwardly waltzed in with hesitation riding on his shoulders. "Uh, Chief Bei Fong? Everyone is ready for debriefing."

Toph nodded and responded, "I'll be there."

Hisho left, closing the door behind him, and the awkward atmosphere had suddenly shifted over to Toph and Aang. Neither had said anything for a good minute. But Aang decided to break the silence first. "So… uh… that, that was a thing." He coughed.

Toph grunted as she glared at Aang's direction. "What the heck was that?" She marched up to Aang and punched him in the shoulder. "I was trying to say we should keep things respectful until you settle things with Katara! Why did you—"

"Oh come on, you know you liked—"

"Twinkle Toes, if you continue that sentence I will bury you," Toph threatened with a dead glare. But her light blush had made Aang smile, thus ruining her threat. "Fine… it… I _did_ —but the point is that we can't keep doing this!"

Aang nodded. "Fine. I understand." He let a moment of awkward staring pass before saying anything. "So, would you like my help with this case of yours?" he asked her.

She nodded exhaustively. "Spirits, yes, I would! This would be over much faster if it as just you and I working on this," she joked. "Alright, come on Twinkle Toes." Toph waved at him to follow her as she walked by him and over to the door.

"Good luck kiss?" Aang inquired teasingly. Toph whipped her body around and narrowed her brows. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

Toph slowly turned back as she unlocked the door. "Fall in line Twinkle Toes."

"Sir, yes sir!"

 _::::_

"It seemed like everything was fairly simple."

"Fairly simple?" Korra chuckled. "Your long time best friend kissed you twice and was willing to have an affair, to which you said we'll see."

Toph frowned at Korra. "Okay, that was stretching it. So yeah, we had some semblance of what to do. Aang was intended on solving our issue. But as… much of a plan we had, it immediately went to hell." The elderly blind woman scanned around the campfire before continuing. "Katara returned… and she knew…"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Okay, don't expect every single one to be this long. It came out like this because I was really trying to go for those back story moments. Lemme know what you think! Also follow me on Tumbler, username: blehblarghblah. Please review, follow, and favourite! Reviews are what keep me going! PM me if you have questions.**_

 _ **Until next time...**_

 _ **— Bleh**_


	4. Bittersweet Sugar

**Bittersweet Sugar**

The sound of a ship's blow horn echoed throughout the entire island. Aang and Sokka were gathered at the docks along with a few acolytes waiting for the ship to dock. Aang and Sokka were eagerly stood before the docks, smiling at the arriving ship. At least, one was more eager than the other. The ship had the Southern Water Tribe symbol plastered onto its flags. Though the ship was huge, it was not the size that had intimidated Aang—it was the person it was harbouring. Katara was on that ship and he had to welcome her. Aang was particularly nervous about Katara, mainly because he wasn't sure he could play off the event of two weeks ago as nothing.

The only reason he was eager relied all on his excitement about seeing Bumi and Kya again. He did miss them during Katara's absence and was waiting with anticipation to see them again. It was too early to determine his relationship with his kids, especially for Kya. Even though Bumi was two, it was too premature to make judgement calls on his relationship with his father. Aang couldn't tell if he favoured his mother more than him or if it was the other way around.

Either way, he was just delighted to see his children again, regardless of who they favoured. He missed them so much and couldn't wait to hug and hold them again. That was what he had to look forward to, what he was excited to see come off the ship. The person bearing those children, was someone he was afraid to see. Katara was home, and he had to lie to her. Aang had rarely ever lied in his life. Whenever he lied, the truth would eventually be revealed soon after, making his lie temporary. Even then, when he was younger, his skills in lying wasn't very convincing. Toph could easily see through his lies, even without her feet touching the ground. He was just very bad. Everyone he knew could tell when he was lying.

Of course now, he had grown and grown in his abilities to lie. Aang had learned overtime how to lie and how to convince others of his false truths. Toph had taught him a little bit (she was his bad influence after all). Now, he had to pool together all his knowledge and skill set, to lie to his wife. "Oh, boy," Aang muttered.

Sokka elbowed his arm and scoffed. "Come on, she's gonna be glad to see you again!"

Aang shook his head. "I don't even know at this point," he responded tiredly as he shrugged.

Sokka rose a brow at him for a moment before concluding what Aang was thinking about. "Ah, the kiss." Aang sighed once again, this time with a hint of irritation. Sokka was already on his case before, and the last thing he needed was a recap. He stressed that he understood the influence and such—even jokingly commended him for it—but stated he was _never_ going to let Aang hurt his sister. "All you gotta do is explain the circumstances of what happened. I mean, you were both drunk and Toph is… well, Toph!"

Aang chuckled at Sokka's comment. "You are right. But I doubt she'll be forgiving."

"Aang, this is my sister you're talking about. Your wife! You know she won't over react—"

"She _just_ came back from a two week long trip that was meant to distance herself from me after we had a ten minute argument."

"Okay… so she's a little rough around the edges… but maybe those two weeks changed her!" Sokka offered. Aang rose a brow at the notion, causing Sokka to proceed. "Maybe time apart made her look things over and she's willing to try again. This time, she could be forgiving."

The Avatar smiled at that thought as he glanced down to the concrete dock. She might have needed the two weeks and for he knew, it could have benefited their relationship. He was heavily riding on that _if_. He wasn't going to ruin things between anyone. Aang was maintaining his side of Toph's deal and kept things respectively. He had not seen her in person ever since he helped put the Badger Bandits behind bars, he said he would resort to calling only. He called her a few times to check up on her and she called him only once. He had dragged their conversations onto hours on end, leaving Toph to hang up first. Aang was glad that she was at least giving him the time of day.

During his week and a half preparation, Aang also decided telling Katara the truth would be best. The issue was, it would only be half the truth. He was going to tell her that he and Toph kissed, and that they were drunk. He planned on stressing that fact the most. He was going to tell that Toph came onto him and that they just kissed once. Along with the fact that the morning after, she apologized and said she didn't remember anything. This story now made his act of lying harder.

Aang now had to beat around the bush while also cutting in deep inside, but only partially. He did not want to reveal his feelings for Toph or the fact that he willingly kissed her twice—or that it felt amazing each time. That was obvious, to say the least. But he knew that lying was already hard, so now he had to lie and tell the truth. That eased his mind since he was technically telling the truth, just not mentioning the whole truth. The lie had parted into a flat out lie with a bit of omission tossed in for good measure.

The sound of metal landing on the concrete path, had disrupted Aang's worrisome thoughts. He glanced up the path and saw the ramp from the boat had been fully extended. He began to straighten himself and his robe as he and Sokka walked over to the ramp. The Air Acolytes slowly followed behind, ready to take care of Katara's bags and belongings. Then Aang saw her. She had slowly emerged from the boat, coming into plain view. She descended down the ramp, poised and elegantly.

It felt like an eternity for Aang as he watched her. Each step seemed slower and slower, bringing a weight of guilt onto Aang's shoulders. The world around him felt so clouded, with her and him at the focus as they were surrounded by a sea of guilt. She had a blank look on her face and kept her gaze forward, not bothering to look over to her husband or brother. Once she reached halfway down the ramp, Aang grew worried as he noticed no one trail after her. Preferably, a toddler and someone holding a baby in their arms. However, he didn't see anyone of the sort. It was just Katara by herself. Aang couldn't see his children and was confused and slightly worried as to why.

Once he arrived a few meters away from the ramp, he stopped and waited for Katara. He gulped as he looked her in the eyes whilst the descended. It felt so cold for some reason, to stare at her blue eyes. She finally made her way down and smiled as she saw Sokka. "Sokka!" she exclaimed as she walked over to him and hugged him.

Sokka embraced his sister and responded, "Hope you had a good visit."

Once she pulled away, Aang spoke up. "Yeah, I as well!" he said excitedly. Katara turned to him and fell back to a blank expression. "I'm glad you're back," he added.

Aang's smile faded once her saw Katara's facial expression shift into anger. She took a step forward and slapped the Avatar across the face, creating a loud echo across the dock and leaving a slight red mark on his right cheek. Sokka's mouth and eyes widened at the action, while all the Acolytes copied the expression. Instantly, Aang's world had broken in half as he quickly came to a conclusion, long before Katara said anything. "You jerk!" she shrieked. Aang's eyes widened as she narrowed her brows. "You disgusting, cheating, lowlife! You are just horrible." She shook her head at him. "Avatar for the people, but just _scum_ to his own wife."

That last comment hurt him. He flinched at each word as he kept his gaze slightly lowered, not daring to meet her eyes. He felt the rage steaming from her and slightly glanced up. He was confused as to how she knew, but didn't dare to ask her that. "I'm—"

"What? Sorry?" Katara challenged him. She reached around her neck and unsnapped her necklace, causing Aang's eyes to widened even more. She held the betrothal necklace in her hands and spoke viciously. "This represented your loyalty to me. Your love. Your devotion to me and my happiness and to our marriage." She looked up at Aang, narrowing her eyes and clenching the necklace in her hand. "You sicken me."

Aang stared at her, observing her expression. It was pure rage spitting at him. Though that was obvious to everybody, Aang noticed that was all she was full of. Just pure, bottled up rage and he knew this. He knew this was anger waiting to be unleashed. Now any regular husband may feel guilty—which he did—but Aang was actually hurt. He was feeling angry too. To anyone else, Aang had no right to be upset given the circumstances. But that was because no one saw it from his perspective.

Katara was just angry. The issue with this, was that was all she felt. There were no tears in her outburst, no frail tone, no look of regret. While he was sort of giving himself some credit, he knew Katara. The Katara he knew would've broken down and wouldn't dare to look in his eyes much like himself. Yet that was what clicked inside him. He had known her, but this was because she was feeling different. This was bottled up aggression she had been waiting to release and he had set the fuze. This opened up something that she had been battling within herself: their relationship's stability. And he had basically given her a push and helped her decide.

Aang was now angry because this meant she was no better. Yes, he did cheat and was about to lie to her but she had kept this from him. She also made herself seem like the better person. Before Aang could make a retort of some kind, Katara continued, "I'm packing my things."

"What?" he and Sokka said together.

"I came back to get the rest of my things." She turned away, looking toward the Air Temple and readying herself to walk. "I'm going stay at the Southern Water Tribe." With that, Katara began to walk.

Aang narrowed his brows at her as he followed in pursuit. He slowly walked after her and caught up with her just before the courtyard of the Temple. "Katara!"

She whipped around and shouted, "What Aang!"

Once he got within a few meters of her, he sighed. He closed his eyes as he said, "I am sorry, okay? I understand that what I did was wrong and that the fact that I was drunk is no excuse. Even then, the fact that it was Toph hurts more." His brows furrowed as he opened his eyes. "But for you to accuse me of being disloyal? To accuse me of disregarding your happiness when you've been giving me hell? To say that I've haven't been devoted to you even when you left me for two weeks? To say that _I'm_ the one who broke our love? You've got some nerve."

Katara flared her brows in offence. "Excuse me?" she said hotly.

"Don't act innocent either! Tell me that you haven't been contemplating our relationship's stability in the past few months. Tell me that in this time apart, you weren't enjoying it! Can you honestly tell me, that you haven't been waiting to do this?" Aang was panted heavily as he challenged a glare at Katara. "Face it, we've both been going through the same thoughts. I'm the one who made things worse, yes, but you can't rag on me just make yourself feel innocent."

She sighed and narrowed her eyes. "Okay, what do you want then? To be right?" Katara inquired. "Will that make you feel better?"

Aang shook his head. "I don't know what I want right now…" his half smile only supported his desperate look.

Katara rose a brow at his soft spoken words. Aang lowered his head as Katara said, "How did we get here…" A moment of silence passed before either spoke. It was hard to tell when, but it was obvious enough to say there was nothing there anymore. It hurt her to see him so conflicted and confused, yet so angry.

He sighed. "I'm… not sure." He looked up and stared at her in the eyes. "But I do know, this is not something we can salvage. It's just… the way I feel now… about you and…" his voice trailed off as he chose not to finish his sentence.

Katara nodded. "So… it's settled then. I'm taking the kids and moving back to the Southern Water Tribe."

Aang's brows rose. "What? You're taking Bumi and Kya? You can't do that! I'm their father too—"

"Well you haven't been much of a father to make that claim, have you?" Katara shouted. "Besides, you would only be interested in keeping them if you learned that they were airbenders."

Aang's jaw dropped as his eyes widened. "How dare you! You think I would be so favourable to my children just because the type of bender they are? I love our children regardless! You can't accuse me of that!"

"That was the reason we had them wasn't it!"

"You also thought that they would make us happy again!"

"And how did that turn out?"

"I can't believe that you want everything to end well for you! What about me? What about everything I've had to put up with?"

Katara's eyes widened. "'put up with'? So our marriage was nothing but an annoyance to you?"

Aang glared at her. "Well it's starting to feel like that now!"

"I… I can't believe you would say such a thing."

"I can't believe after all you've put me through, you honestly feel like my side of our relationship has felt happy. You rarely give me a chance to smile at you because you're always arguing with me!"

"I'm sick of you, how could you say this! After all we've been through, after what we tried to salvage, you're blaming me?"

"You mean what _I_ tried to salvage! You weren't exactly meeting me halfway!"

"And neither were you!"

"I spent my life by your side, doing whatever you pleased, and for what? Because some fortune dictated it so? It hasn't been exactly a joy ride on my part," Aang added angrily. "If you have some skewed perception that our marriage was actually healthy, then I guess you really weren't paying attention."

"You think that our love was based off of some fortune? How about the delusions of a twelve year old!" she fired back. "You can't honestly think that this all on me, right?"

"Never said that it was, just that you can't blame this all on me." Aang shook his head as he grit his teeth. "I know my faults, and I know that I'm not any better in this. I am well aware of that. I'm just insulted that you think that I never tried for us, that I never felt anything in this!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "It's starting to feel like that."

Aang took a deep breath as he tried to compose himself. He didn't want to end things so harshly, but the two of them weren't really helping each other. It was obvious there was some unchecked aggression that neither of them had been able to look over. Aang was surprised at himself for his words. He did sound rude and it wasn't exactly deflating the situation. But really, what was he trying to gain at the end? He was fighting her for something but what was it? Honor or the pride of being right? Really, neither mattered to him. He closed his eyes and thought hard.

It was time he had to let go. Katara was already willing and so was he, but maybe it was time for him to stop trying. This was his chance to stop. He opened his eyes and slowly nodded. "Okay, it's obvious we both have some bottled up rage." Katara scoffed. "I don't want to drag this on anymore for you or me, so fine. I'm not stopping you or anything, but I _do_ want to see our kids. If… if you aren't willing to visit, then I'll make it work. I'll send letters or call in advance, maybe stay for a couple of days. But you can't keep them from me, they're my kids just as much as they are yours. They are _our_ kids Katara."

She nodded. "Fine, I can allow that." Aang had to fight the urge to say something about how she said 'allow'. As if it all relied on her permission. He knew better at least. "I… I'm going to stay at my Gran Gran's place."

Aang mentally frowned at that statement. She was going to stay by herself in her grandmother's home. But he did not say anything because he knew Katara prefered the warmth of such a familiar home. "Alright then." The Avatar nodded. "The, uh, Acolytes will assist your packing."

"Thank you," Katara said softly as she turned around. Her hands opened and the necklace had fallen from her grasp, straight down to the ground. Aang looked at the representation of their marriage fall from her hands, . It was amazing that something so small, so delicately beautiful, could also relieve Aang of the heaviest weight. His shoulders suddenly felt uplifting and his soul felt unbinded. He glanced up at the sky and smiled. He was free as air, but could only be bound to stay because of the earth beneath him.

 _::::_

"They… they really said that?" Bumi asked hesitantly.

Toph nodded. "Both of them were fuming mad, but it was obvious they were also relieved. As if the weight of guilt had finally been released from their shoulders. Their relationship had been in a rut for years, but both were just too scared to push. Granted, this wasn't exactly the healthiest way to talk about it." Toph waited for a response. She knew that Tenzin and Katara's kids would have a response to what she had just said. She gave them time to process.

"How did Sokka and everyone else process her leaving?" Bolin curiously asked.

"Well, Aang had went back to talk to Sokka about it. Sokka just seemed kinda confused. Not in the sense of how he processed it, but more like he didn't know what to do. I mean, we all knew those two had a issues and we understood both sides of the relationship. I mean, I understood Aang's most and, I guess Zuko did as well, but Sokka had really understood both of them. Katara was his sister, and Aang was like his brother. Though the connection of their marriage would shatter that perspective, the point was that Sokka understood the two like family.

"His reaction was always understanding. He understood Aang's discomfort and why he was okay with the break, but he was also worried as to how Katara was reacting. He understood that Katara needed some time away and wanted to be home, so he respected that. He was just worried that in the long run of our group's friendship, we were starting to fall apart. Distance can really hurt relationships, so that was why he was glad we were all so close to Republic City. Zuko on the council every so often, me as Chief of Police, Aang having Air Temple island and living with Katara.

"It seemed like the happy ending. But, he respected the separation and understood he had no place to intervene. He asked Katara to write as soon as she arrived." Toph shrugged as she lowered her gaze back to the fire. "I think Zuko was just worried about how everything turned out. He did care for Katara and was worried for her well being, but in comparison to Aang he was more worried. He understood Aang had been battling his feelings for a while and constantly called to check up on him afterward. He and Sokka were worried with him being all by himself on Air Temple Island."

She glanced over to Tenzin, expecting some response regarding Katara and Aang. "Toph… how do you know about their fight?"

"Twinkle Toes and I talked. He started to vent. He told me the whole thing and I listened." She felt the gazes of everyone fall onto her. At this point, they just wanted to hear the rest. "I knew he was going to do fine on his own. He was tough and he could manage."

"But," Kya spoke up, "how did you react to them breaking up?"

Toph sighed. This is what they wanted, the gossip. They wanted to know about the details. Toph decided she was going to tell them regardless, blunt or not. "I was overjoyed. Is that what you want to hear? Yes, I was somewhat glad that I had a shot on Aang but I wasn't going to take it—not by a long shot. Mainly because it was too soon and I didn't want to pressure him into feeling something that wasn't there. Spirits knew he had enough of that already." She looked down again. "And I guess it felt too good to be true. I didn't want to jump on the chance right away because I thought staying friends would last better. Even then, I was guilty because I broke them up."

She swallowed hard at the thought. One of the many issues Toph had with feelings and emotions, was that her personality was trained to avoid them. She was rock hard and refused to be dragged down by feelings. The last thing she wanted was to feel vulnerable to the world. And at the time, she didn't want to feel vulnerable. She loathed the thought as she recalled how she reacted to the news. It had only further complicated things.

"It was hard for me to look at this with any joy knowing I had destroyed something, even though they both wanted it long gone. I felt like I set something in motion because of me being me and I was guilty of all of it. After all, this whole thing started because of me." Toph chuckled as she glanced up from the fire and looked over to her and Katara's kids. "Katara had made sure to remind me of the whole thing."

Tenzin rose a brow. "She came to you?"

"Yup, before Aang and I talked. She was none too pleased."

 _::::_

"—And I would like the chance to discuss such relations over lunch. I would be delighted to meet with you at Kwong's Cuisine, 3:30 in the afternoon. I wish you the best, signed, Kanto." Hisho glanced up from the paper and rose a brow at Toph. Toph had her focus on the paper in her hands. She slowly dragged her thumbs over the letters, recognizing the characters. Hisho cleared his throat as he shifted in his seat.

"Yeah, yeah, I was listening to _most_ of it—don't worry," Toph muttered. "I was just looking at this report. Glad to see Officer Heik is getting his act together."

"So?" Hisho questioned excitedly as he accompanied his risen brow with a sly smirk.

Toph rose a brow and lowered the report down to her desk. "What?"

"The date!" Hisho mentioned cheerfully. "I mean, Kwong's Cuisine is a new fancy restaurant. It's very high class. Well, word is at least."

Toph frowned. "It isn't a date. Whoever this dude is, he's obviously trying to persuade me by bribing me with a lunch." The blind bender cocked her head to the right. "Wait, who's it from?"

"Kanto," Hisho read again. Toph sighed heavily as she closed her eyes in irritation. Hisho rose his brow again. "You know him?"

"Yep. He's a wussy, idiotic child," Toph answered. "Honestly, if he thinks I'm going to discuss nonbender enlistment over lunch, he truly is an airhead."

The receptionist nodded at the comment, understanding Toph's dislike toward the man. "So would you like me to write a response back to him?"

Toph smirked as she shook her head. "No, I'll let him be."

Hisho chuckled, "You are cruel, Chief." He began to inspect the letter more.

She shrugged as she wore her smug smirk. "Eh, I can't be wooed so easily. Besides, I have work to get to."

"Huh, it doesn't really matter," Hisho stated, "He didn't leave an address—how are we supposed to respond?"

"It's because he knows I wouldn't be bothered to respond, so he's expecting me to show up. Even then, I have a hunch about where to send it." Toph shook her head as she tucked the reports in a file. "Make sure you take these into archives," Toph added as she pushed the file slightly forward. "Is that all?"

Hisho nodded as he said, "Yes Chief. That was the only letter."

Toph nodded back at Hisho and said, "Thank you Hisho." She grabbed another report and began reading it, diverting her full attention toward the sheet. She dragged her thumbs around the top and familiarized herself with the letters, getting a sense of the name written. However, her focus shattered as she sensed a familiar pair of footprints nearby. "You can, uh, leave the letter here."

"Anytime, Chief," he responded as he rose from his chair. He walked over to her desk and collected the file as he placed the letter on her desk, just beside the other reports. Hisho tucked the file underneath his right armpit proceeded to make his way out the door. Just as he walked right out the door, he immediately turned around and stopped the door from closing. He stuck his head in and said, "Chief?"

Toph rose a brow. "Yes, Hisho?"

"Uh, Master Katara is here," Toph's heart began to pound as she felt the world around her freeze. She was here and she wanted to see her. Toph managed a straight face as she thought about the possibilities. Why would she want to see her? Had Aang told Katara or did she figure it out for herself. Toph made sure not to react in any way aside from letting out a small grin. She couldn't expose anything. "Would you like me to—"

"Yes, let her through, Hisho," Toph nodded as she waved her hand in a sweeping motion.

Hisho backed away from the door and pushed it open as he departed from the office. Toph could sense Katara's steps near closer down through the offices, each stepped seemed to spark off Katara's heavy beating heart. There was something off putting about her attitude. Something about the way she stomped already hinted toward Toph that she was mad. She was only worried if she was mad at her. Toph wasn't ready for a confrontation but she had to talk to Katara. If she did know, then Toph wanted to salvage their friendship. She wasn't ready to be attacked with accusations and insults. Partially because she wasn't sure what Aang told her. It would be difficult to deny accusations of they were all true. Toph was not prepared for an argument.

Granted, Toph always fought back in an argument and was never one to take an insult. She always stood her ground and wouldn't hesitate at the chance to put someone in their place. The issue with such a hard image, was that Toph always had to be on the offensive. If she ever softened up, then she would lose. The last thing she wanted, was for Katara to see through her lies and realize she had loved Aang all this time.

After what felt like an eternity, Katara had finally arrived at the door. "Afternoon, Toph," she said in a formal tone.

"Sugar Queen," Toph smiled, "What brings you by?"

Katara shut the door behind her, leaving Toph to slightly feel uneasy. Despite the fact it was obvious she wanted privacy, the idea behind the action worried her. Katara made her way over to the chair where Hisho had previously sat. She cleared her throat as she forced a smile at Toph. "I hope you don't mind me taking up your time, but I have something personal I want to discuss."

"Personal?" Toph repeated. Thoughts ran through her mind, questioning the need to ask her, but Toph decided to play off the strange request. "What, Sokka's too busy with the council so you're left with me?"

"Toph," Katara reprimanded.

"Alright, alright, what is it?"

"Aang and I broke up."

Toph's world froze once more. Her heart soared and her eyes widened as a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. She couldn't contain a reaction after hearing such a case. Her stomach had suddenly began to feel weird and she started to feel strange twists inside her. There was guilt and excitement. Sadness and joy. Aang had ruined something special, all because of Toph. She didn't want to make things worse. She didn't want to ruin everything. She wanted nothing of the sort. Right now, she had to respond. "I…" she stopped herself, knowing she had to give a Toph-like answer. "can't believe you came to me to talk about this and not Sokka." Toph frowned. "Is he busy with the council?"

Katara rose a curious brow as a small frown fell on her face. "I guess so." She shrugged. "I just wanted a girl talk."

"Well, if it means anything, I am sorry to hear that." Toph frowned and leaned back in her seat. "Seemed like you two were the forever couple."

"Yeah, well not everything lasts forever." Katara sighed. A moment of awkward silence passed as Katara eyed Toph, who cleared her throat.

"So…" she spoke up. "Is… that all?"

"It's just… very shocking."

Toph rose a brow. "You make it seem like this happened by surprise? Like, outta nowhere? Did he break up with you over a letter?"

"No. I actually ended it," Katara corrected as a small frown developed.

That had surprised Toph. Her eyes widened in alarm as she said, "You?" She scoffed and smirked. "Then why do you need to chat? I assumed the dumper always had the easy job and left with the weight of the world off their shoulders."

"I'm not heartless," Katara retorted. "It's not like this decision wasn't hard for me either."

Toph narrowed her brows. Who did she think she was, lying to Toph Bei Fong? Regardless, Toph played along. "Okay then. So why go to me? I thought you knew by now, but I don't do touchy feely." Katara smiled at the statement and chuckled. Toph saw that as good sign. She dared to ask, "What made you… want to end things?"

Katara sighed. "It's… been hard between us." Toph held back a scoff. Everyone knew that, it was obvious.

"Did the spark just die out?" Toph asked bluntly.

"Yeah…" Katara nodded. "Toph, I need you to be serious."

"Okay."

"Promise me?"

"Sugar Queen, what's this about?" Toph impatiently pressed.

"You and Aang." Toph froze. "Are you two having an affair behind my back?" she asked in a soft voice.

Toph shook her perplexed head as she shouted, "What! No! We didn't! Spirits, all we did was kiss!"

Katara flared her brows. "So you admit it!"

"I wasn't denying it!" Toph shouted back. "I'm sorry okay? We were just drunk! Even then, you can't blame it all him when _I'm_ the one who kissed him. I took advantage of him being drunk." Toph tiredly sighed as she palmed her forehead, resting her elbow on her armrest. "Aang was against it all the way through! He pushed me off him as well!"

"I don't believe you," Katara fired back. "It's obvious that you left him confused. The way he looked. Whatever happened between you two—he's conflicted. He… he looked so different."

Toph sighed as she closed her eyes. She couldn't put with this, not now. "Katara, all that happened was we kissed. Nothing else."

"I don't believe you."

"Good for you Sugar Queen!" Toph shouted. "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to apologize? To admit that it happened? I have already! So why not just get to the point!"

Katara narrowed her eyes and scowled. "Do you love him?"

The questioned had left the blind bender speechless. How could she respond to an emotionally unstable Katara without provoking her further? How could she reveal a heartbreaking truth that not even Toph herself was willing to admit? The moment left Toph's insides shaking. It was hard to process such a question. Love itself wasn't something Toph thought she was capable of. And yet, when the moment presented itself, she _still_ wasn't sure if it was love or a phase. A phase that hadn't passed even in her early thirties. She loved Aang for who he was but was worried that wasn't enough to last her. Toph didn't even know what type of love she was expecting.

There was also the issue of Aang. Whatever he was going through certainly wasn't helping Toph. The way he talked, the way he held her, the way he kissed—it was all so jarring. He made it seem like destiny had brought them to this moment and it was meant to be. If destiny was real, then hadn't it done the same for him and Katara? Who was she to assume things would be different or better? Aang had made a lot of declarations and even then, Toph told him to slow down. It was a different side of Aang she had never seen and she was worried if he was falling for her for the right reasons. She was worried if it really was love. After all, she hadn't experienced it for herself ever before—who was she to make an assumption.

But was that what love did to someone? It left them feeling conflicted and confused about their choices. It made them feel twists and turns in their stomach at the mere thought of the other person. Was love really just an admiration that could grow into something more once caught on fire? Toph knew nothing of the sort. She didn't if love truly made someone feel so warm. She didn't know if love was suppose to make her feel so numb and vulnerable. That was how Aang made her feel. The thought of him holding her, comforting her, and being there for her, it gave her a sense of being wanted. She loved him for who he was, and to her that was enough to say it was love. Perhaps love was something she had to discover more of.

Toph cleared her throat as she lowered her hand to her armrest. She glanced over to Katara's direction and sighed. "Katara… it's… complicated…" The truth was at least said. She wasn't ready to admit much.

"How!" she shouted. "How is it complicated! I want a simple yes or no! I want to know if cheating on me had some purpose! If lying behind my back really was worth it. Or was this just some sort of personal relief?"

Toph rose her brows as her eyes widened. "I'm not whore!" she barked. "And believe me when I tell you, we _just_ kissed! There was nothing else! We didn't do anything aside from that!"

"Then why kiss him? Why make such an advance?"

"Because I wanted to, okay?"

"Oh? So you could get a taste of something you've always wanted?"

"Yes!" Toph shouted viciously, "I did it because I wanted to know what it felt like. I wanted the moment to last for a night, so that the morning after neither of us could recall any of it! I wanted to feel _just us_ in that moment." Toph closed her eyes as frown fell on her face. She lowered her head and added guiltily, "I've been fighting this for… ever."

Katara slowly shook her head as she breathlessly asked, "Why would you do this to me?"

"Why would you do that to him?" Toph shot back as she rose her head. "You know how he is, you know how he's felt! You've given him nothing but crap ever since you two got married! You act like you had no part in this? You drove him away!"

"We drifted apart!" Katara shouted. "I know my side hasn't been great either, that I haven't been exactly easy on him. But… it still hurt knowing that he wasn't willing to be there for me, and he still had other priorities."

Toph scoffed as a humourless grin found itself on her face. "That's the thing though. We both forget that he's not just Aang, he's also the Avatar. Everyone else _has_ to be his priority." She smiled truthfully at her latest thought. "That's why I loved him so much when we were younger. No matter what his duties were he was willing to be there for us, for me. I guess when we got older he realized his duties were always more important."

"But I thought that a husband would smile at his wife when he returned home," a fragile voice came from the Waterbender. "I thought he was suppose to be glad he made the right choice." Her eyes began to swell and tears slowly streamed down her face. "His tone, his glares, his tired sighs, I knew that he had his doubts and regrets. I developed mine too… it hurt as well."

"Yeah, because it was suppose to be _destiny_!" Toph mocked. "Destiny isn't enough sometimes…" her expression fell.

Katara scoffed. "I was thirteen, what did I know?" her tone was slightly enlightened. "I… I get it, it really wasn't enough to love him back or for him to love me fully. It just didn't become what we both expected in the long run." Her faint smile returned as she stared at Toph. "I'm staying at the South Pole…" she mentioned softly.

Toph's eyes widened once again as she slightly cocked her head to the right. "Oh… yeah that, that makes sense." She nodded slowly as she lowered her head again. What was she suppose to say now? Get out? She knew Katara was going through something, but Toph wasn't exactly up for having a heart to heart when she knew her own heart was going through some conflict. "Katara… why did you come here? Because if it was to vent, you might as well find another person. Or if it was to yell at me, just let me have the rest of it already. I don't have time to deal with this sappiness."

"I came here because I wanted the truth."

"Which I gave," Toph replied.

"The _entire_ truth, Toph. I want to know everything," Katara added. "I wanted know…"

"I'm not having this conversation with you," Toph chuckled as she shook her head. She rose it once again after sighing tiredly. This conversation was dragging on far more than Top wanted. "To give you the short of it, I want to make it clear that we _didn't_ have sex. We _only_ kissed. I want to make it clear that… I… he and I are complicated right now and _I'm_ the one who stressed the distance between us—"

"Even though you made the move."

"—and I want him to come to me when he's sorted out. I'm not doing anything with him. We're trying to keep things professional and respectful. I… I may have feelings for him… and he… I dunno. I don't think we're going anywhere, I don't think we'll _be_ anything. I… was just pushing my boundaries to test the waters of something I was never able to touch. I didn't expect the deep end, and I don't want to drown in it." Toph laughed briefly and smile formed on her lips. "If it's worth anything, I _am_ sorry Katara. I'm sorry I betrayed you and that… this happened. I don't expect a forgiveness in return and I couldn't care less. I want it to be clear, I'm not looking for anything… at least, I'm not sure if I am."

Katara sat in silence, processing the Earthbender's words. She really was sentimental and sincere, but it was hard to appeal to that soft side of her. It was obvious Katara had provoked her, but in what sense? She wanted to get the truth and only wanted the truth alone. She needed to know if there was something that sparked out of the betrayal. She hadn't even seen the photo herself, she only heard it from gossip. Gossip and whispers from friends really infected her mind. It was strange to see such dramatic news revolve around someone she was wedded to. It hurt her knowing that there was a possibility of truth and that it had happened behind her back. She was kept out of the loop, Aang made no show of attempting to tell her. The least he could have done was try to smooth things over before meeting in person. But then again, how would Katara react to to such a response over a letter?

The entire fiasco boggled her mind and it was obvious it had affected others. She wasn't sure if her anger was of the matter the heart or because of the betrayal between friends. Despite the similarities, either option mattered. Matter of the heart meant it was true love, a love that was destroyed because of secrecy and deceit. However, betrayal meant that it was only the friendship that mattered to her most. Her love for Aang seemed second to her care for their friendship. All in all, friendship was what mattered to her most. She wasn't sure if that was mistaken for love or if love was suppose to be more than that. She _knew_ betrayal hurt the most, it stabbed her deep in her heart. Love between friends was hard to come by, especially a friendship that lasted from their youth. She didn't want to end their friendship by separating, but she wanted to be separate from the thing that had separated her from her friends: love.

Some time alone was due for Katara, and she wasn't going to prolong the moment any further. She still had to settle things between her and Toph, because regardless of what all three of them felt, there was an obvious tension between them. It wasn't a love triangle, it wasn't some rivalry, or some sort of back stabbing nonsense—well it was technically all three combined. It was just bottled up aggression that was expressed carelessly and foolishly.

"Toph…" Katara spoke up. She wasn't sure if she could forgive her, but she wanted to try to end things on good terms. "I—"

"I think it would best if you leave now," Toph interrupted in a monotone expression. Her brows were narrowed and her lips were pressed into a thin line. "I have work I need to attend to and you're cutting into my time." She cleared her throat. "Now as much as I would like to trade wits with you, I think it's time we just stop. I _do_ wish you the best. Good luck with your cold isolation, Sugar Queen." Toph waved her away with a smug smile. "I'll see you around." It was brutal and rude, but she wasn't going to put up with Katara any longer. She was trying to hold back the urge to earthbend her and everyone else around the station. She was holding back the urge of saying an onslaught of snide comments. She didn't want to have a meltdown—especially one over Aang.

Katara nodded her understanding. It was clear to her she had overstayed her welcome. "You are right. I should be going now. The ship crew must be restocked and… are probably waiting for me." She rose out of her seat and walked over to Toph's desk, standing just a meter away from her. "I… I wish you the best too, Toph." She wanted to hug her, but she was afraid she'd punch her in the arm or worse. For now, she took advantage of the space she allowed and extended her hand to her. Nothing wrong with a handshake.

Toph realized what she was doing and accepted right away. No sense in trying to be petty. She reached for Katara's hand and shook it firmly as she held back a smirk. She wasn't holding a grudge, but she had to make her parting goodbye at least worth remembering. "Until next time, Sugar Queen," she said as she released her hand.

Katara sheepishly nodded as she quickly retracted her hand the moment Toph released her. As she soothed it with her left hand, she said, "Yes, till next time." They nodded their farewells silently, and Katara had made for the exit. Within a few seconds, she was gone, the door was closed shut, and Toph froze in silence. Her world around her had changed once again, and much like before, it was that damn airhead's fault. Regardless, she took advantage of the silence to smile and think. Yes, part of her saw it as her chance and she wanted to go for it. The other part, wanted to talk things over with Aang.

"Alright, I'll play your game, Kanto," Toph said to herself. "Someone get Hisho in here!" the Chief shouted loudly. "I want him to write a letter for me!"

…

"After that, we met up, talked things over and… things slowly developed."

"No, no, no," Suyin spoke up. Her tone had suddenly became more enlightened. If anything, Toph could feel the small smile on her face as she spoke. "We have to hear about the date!"

"Ex‒Excuse me?" Toph exclaimed, "It‒It wasn't a date. Just a meetup, nothing big. It wasn't like Tenzin was conceived on that day or anything." Toph mentally reprimanded herself as to why was she embarrassed and stuttering? It wasn't that bad or anything. Yet somehow, the idea of her dating Aang always made her blush. Toph's sensitive side wasn't hidden as much as she wanted it to be this night, but she was going to hide it as much as she could.

Few of the gang laughed, which surprised Toph. It seemed like they were warming up to the idea of her and Aang, or at least enjoying the story. She was actually surprised that few of Katara's kids seemed interested. Lin scoffed and rolled her eyes while everyone nervously laughed, unsure if laughing would push anyone's buttons. Even though Lin was going for the tough demeanour, the small smile on her lips told a different story, one of curiosity and interest.

" _Toph_ ," Tenzin scolded. "I'd prefer it if we didn't joke about that."

Toph nodded. "Right, right."

"But," he added softly. "I would like to know what you two talked about."

That surprised her as well. This wasn't happening. He was genuinely curious now? Had her tale peaked their interest or were they just curious on how their mother and father's relationship unfolded? It made more sense the more she thought about it. They all had missed out on the tale's of their parents' past because of her and Aang's stupidity. Now, they were just fishing for the story they missed, the one of love. Nonetheless, Toph complied with a smile. "Fine, but… don't expect much… lovey dovey stuff." She didn't need eyes to tell nearly that everyone's faces lit up once she gave in. "So, Hisho wrote the letter for me and was teasing me about the 'date' as he wrote. He was curious as to how I knew where to send it, but I smoothed it over and said I just know a place."

"Where did you send it?" Korra curiously asked.

"I knew Twinkle Toes was a love sap, so I went to the park bench where we kissed and stuck it underneath when no one was looking." Toph shrugged. "I wrote that if he didn't show up at the restaurant I'd beat him to a pulp." She held back a smile as she imagined his reaction. The idea of him jumping for joy as he read it was amusing to her, and maybe somewhat adorable every time she looked back on it. "Then two days later, at 3:30, he and I were at Kwong's Cuisine… talking."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Ta-da! Hope you all enjoyed this one! It's been really hard to get these characters right, so please let me know how I'm doing! Review, favourite, follow, all the sorts! Hope you stick around for more!**_

 _ **Until next time...**_

 _ **— Bleh**_


	5. Blind Date

**Blind Date**

She was going to regret this decision. Toph knew that obviously. It had been hard for her to even get her foot out the door just to get here, every other step was just persistence. There was no sense in quitting while she was already half way. That thought process had gotten her outside Kwong's Cuisine. She had Hisho drop her off at the restaurant, trusting he would keep the meeting secret. Toph wasn't willing to chance anything at this point. She didn't want more whispers or rumours and she certainly didn't want to feel stares as she walked outside. She hated the feeling of being vulnerable to the world. She couldn't care less about everyone's opinions, she only wanted the annoyance to stop. Aside from Hisho's childish teasing, Toph did not want to deal with any other annoyances.

Right now, she had Aang on the mind, for several reasons in fact. She had to get her point across and wanted to talk to him. After the spitfire Katara had unleashed and the radio silence from Aang, she needed to talk to him. She was not sure about what she was going to address. Aang had arranged this _'date'_ long before Katara broke up with him. Meaning he intended to talk to her about something. Was it really about enlisting non-benders into the Republic City Police Force? Or was that a ploy just to meet Toph? Either way, Toph knew that Aang wanted to talk about something. If it was going to be him confiding in her about Katara or just personal feelings, she was not prepared to play therapist. She wasn't ready for anything he had in store.

Regardless, she gave her best disinterested look as she sighed. She shook her head and walked up to the door. "I'm going to regret this," she muttered aloud, as if saying the words gave some sort of relief. She pushed open the door and walked in aimlessly, head slightly tilted down. She sensed a few dozen customers scattered throughout the restaurant. Her attention drew toward the stand bride her, as she sensed a figure stood behind it.

"Oh, Afternoon Miss Beifong!" the hostess greeted cheerfully whilst Toph walked over to the stand. "I don't recall you making a reservation, but I'm sure we can squeeze you in."

"Actually, I do have a reservation," Toph responded. "Meeting someone," she explained, "Under the name Kanto?"

The hostess' brows rose as a surprised look fell on her face. She smirked and nodded. "Ah, I see, the… 'under wraps' reservation," she stated in a low voice. However her wink and air quotes flew past Toph's blind eyes. "Right this way Miss Beifong." She motioned her to follow.

Toph rose a suspicious brow at the phrasing and tone she took. It was obvious there was some sort of secret with this reservation. So far, her interest was peaked and she followed the lady. Toph felt the stares of a few customers as she walked. She was confused as to where the lady was leading her, until she felt a warm feeling swell up inside her. A familiar sense. How could she not sense him from the entrance, or outside even? Toph always prided herself on her ability to see her friends far before they even saw her. Was he doing something to hide himself or had she been that distracted? Nevertheless, Toph chose to worry about that later.

The lady had led Toph into a small private room. She had felt the curtain doors as she brushed by them. It was a very small room with a huge round table. And there he was, the twinkly toed, airheaded Avatar sat across from her. Again, even without sight Toph could tell he was grinning like an idiot.

"Avatar Aang," the hostess announced, "your…"

Toph narrowed her brows as she could tell what Aang was about to say. "My da—"

"Acquaintance," Toph interjected. "Police business meeting," she said to the hostess.

"Of course," the lady replied with a smug smile. "Someone will be by to take your order." With that, she walked away and disappeared behind the curtains.

Toph stood before Aang with a hesitant smile. She moved to the seat that curved around the table and sat on the far left. Aang scoffed with a smirk as he patted the empty space beside him and said, "Sit here." Toph narrowed her eyes at Aang once again, causing him to seethe. "Too far?"

"You broke up," she stated plainly.

Aang sighed through his frown as he slowly nodded. "Yes. We did." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "She found out… I don't know how actually. She slapped me and left with the kids. I tried to fight but… dragging it on only would make it worse. I let her go because she let me go."

Toph nodded. "I know, like you said." She recalled his promise, his purpose and found it somewhat sweet. He tried until she didn't. "She came by office and told me."

Aang's eyes widened as he looked at Toph in shock. "She didn't hurt you did she?" Toph maintained a blank expression and Aang's worrisome look somehow grew worse. "Tell me you didn't hurt her after she tried?"

Toph chuckled. "No Twinkletoes, she and I didn't _physically_ fight." Aang sighed out of relief. "Though I was close to earthbending her into the wall."

"What did you talk about?"

"Us," she answered.

"You and me?" he clarified.

"She thought we had an affair, I told her we didn't." Toph looked down as she began to recall the argument. "She was mad at first and started shouting at me. Then… asked me if I loved you. If we what we did had some deeper meaning behind it."

"It did," Aang replied.

"I'm not pushing for _anything_ ," Toph emphasized. "I… I think she was just looking for someone to blame and vent to." She shrugged unsurely. "I am to blame though," she admitted shamefully.

Aang chuckled. "I guess so."

"Gee, thanks Twinkletoes," Toph replied dryly.

"But is it wrong that it was out of lo—"

"I don't know," Toph muttered. "I… I can't say what I'm feeling right now because…" It was hard to. She couldn't say it all. Her emotions were in a blur, and she suddenly had a new found urge to kiss him once again. She could not push, she didn't want to. "we need to talk about you and Katara."

Aang's smile shifted back into a frown. He shook his head as he looked down to the table. "I… I don't want to."

"Yeah, I don't care." Toph scoffed. "I know you want to. Just because it's too soon doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it. Avoiding the issue isn't healthy, and it won't help you. You _need_ to talk about it."

"It was a shocker… sure… but I have been bracing myself this entire time." Aang smiled as he looked over to Toph. "It's like, thinking about our relationship for so long had made me expect this day. I knew it would come and it wasn't so… painful. I was angry, sure. She tried to make herself innocent in the matter while making me out to be the villain. I get that she was just looking for closure. Perhaps that's why she took the kids. She needs something to make her feel needed."

"What about you?" the blind bender asked. She decided to ask him about the kids later. That news had surprised her, as it was one of the things Toph wanted to talk to him about. "What do you need?" She paused as she thought more about what she was trying to ask. "I mean… is this really what you think is best? Do you think this is necessary?" she asked hesitantly, unsure if the question was too broad.

"How do you mean?" he inquired. "Like for her or us?"

"I… I feel like you're letting go too easily," Toph reasoned, "Two years of marriage, Aang."

"It was a strange marriage," he retorted. "We both felt like something was missing the first year and, well, we were right. But Bumi and Kya hadn't exactly reignited the spark. I guess we were both searching for something in this. Eventually we realized there was nothing for us to look for anymore because it was gone."

"It shocks me too, you know?" Toph asked as she leant back in her seat and looked up. "How a couple like you two turned out to be a mess."

She heard him shift in his seat and felt him inch closer a bit. "Well, not everything is what it seems at times. Sometimes, it takes a lot of searching. Endless, pointless searching. Even searching in the darkness of a tunnel to find what we want." He inched again, now only a few inches away from Toph as he reached for her hand. "Eventually we'll find the light."

She jerked her hand back before he could touch her and she inched away from him, clearing her throat. "Well, yeah, but sometimes searching takes a _lot_ more time than we think. Ma‒Maybe months even! Especially after a breakup!"

"Toph," Aang said softly as his hand reached forward again.

As it neared her, Toph grabbed it by the wrist with both her hands and lowered it down to his lap. "Don't be stupid Twinkletoes."

"Excuse me?" a voice appeared. "My name is Taimi, and I'll be your server this afternoon."

Aang looked to the waiter and smiled as he quickly glanced over the menu placed in the center of the table. "Oh right. Um, I'll have the house special salad." The waiter smiled in response and nodded. He looked to Toph. "She'll have the steak. Well done." Aang added, "And red wine for her—water for me."

The waiter nodded and left the room, leaving Toph to sigh. "You didn't have to—"

"I know you like steak. Don't worry, it has a lot of sides, you'll enjoy it," Aang muttered. He hated the idea of butchered animal, but knew what Toph liked. Everyone had their tastes. "Plus, red wine!"

The waiter returned immediately, with a platter of two glasses and two glass bottles of water and red wine. He placed it in front of the two and poured their drinks immediately. "I will be back with your food shortly." The waiter departed once again and disappeared from the curtains.

"I mean, you didn't have to order for me or anything." Toph frowned. "I could've just ordered myself."

"Why won't you let me try?" he asked, ignoring her complaint.

"This isn't why you wanted to meet me, is it?" Toph asked, dodging his question.

Aang chuckled. "Yes, it is actually." He shrugged as he cupped her hand with both of his. "Not the breakup, obviously but… us. I wanted a basis. A… direction."

"There isn't anything we need to discuss!"

"You told me that you loved me," Aang stated quietly. His voice was soft and fragile. "That you loved me for who I am, and for what I did for you. Why are you pushing me away now?" Toph remained silent. Aang rose her hand as he kissed her knuckle, sending chills down her spine and leaving her heart to spark. "Toph, please. I only want to try…"

"I don't," she muttered. "I don't want you to be so quick to do this. I don't want this to be… forged on the destruction of your relationship with Katara. I want something real. I've always been wanting something real. The kiss? I… I wanted to see what it would be like to be with you." She slowly pulled her hands away as she bit her lip, choosing her next set of words carefully. "I can't expect your affections to be real."

"But they are," Aang insisted. "I always enjoyed your presence and have never pushed you away. I could always talk to you, confide in you, and you would do the same. That is our friendship. It's strong and reliable."

"So why can't it stay that way?" she asked desperately. "Can we just remain where we are and forget about the kisses?" She could not do that. It was easier for her to say than do. It was hard not to think about his lips touching hers. The feel of warmth and sweetness all wrapped into a small bundle of affection. It was affection, she knew that. "Why are you so willing to try?"

"Because I'm selfish now," Aang joked. He received no laughter from her. "I've been doing it all for everybody else and haven't been focusing much on what I want. It could be you. You can push me, and I need a push. Heck, you'll shove me even."

Toph chuckled. "I would." She shook her head and sighed. "Can… can you please let this go?"

Aang shook his head in response as his smile grew. "I don't want to. I want to see where this takes me." He grabbed her hands again and moved closer to Toph. He caressed each knuckle with his thumbs as he smiled. "Frankly, even though I am selfish now. I think it's time you move forward to. To see where this takes you. After having to sit in the sidelines and wonder and wish what might have been, don't you want to experience—"

"Yes!" Toph shouted, startling the Avatar. "Yes, okay? I _do_ want that! I do want this! I want _you_! Spirits, is that what you want to hear?" she challenged him Aang remained silent and let her ramble on. "Don't you think that after all this time, I'm overjoyed that you are willing to give it a shot? I am… I am, okay?" She swallowed hard. "But… I just can't."

"Because you're scared," he concluded with a blank look. Toph didn't answer as she lowered her head. Aang scoffed. "Thought Toph Beifong didn't get scared," he said nonchalantly.

She rose her head and shot him a glare. "I don't!" Her stern remark made Aang chuckle inside.

"Then prove it," he retorted. "Why don't you give this," he rose their hands in front of her blind eyes, "a shot? Why not take the risk?" He lowered their hands and released her. He inched closer again and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't you think you deserve a chance at love?"

Toph's head lowered once again as she answered shamefully, "I… I don't know what love feels like…"

Aang smiled again as he moved his hand from her shoulder, to her chin, cupping it with his index finger and thumb. He rose her head and looked into her faded emerald eyes. He could get lost in the beauty she was unable to see. He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. She accepted the action, and made no move to fight back. It lasted just a few seconds—short, sweet, warmful, and comforting—but it was all she needed to smile again. He grinned proudly at her smile, and said, "Let me show you then."

A moment passed. A time of silence and warmth that Toph had endured. Neither of them moved. Aang was still cupping Toph's chin while Toph relished in ecstasy, bathing in the comfort of the kiss. Aang knew she had something to say and waited for her. She only thought about how right the moment felt. Even after all she said, after all she reminded him, it all felt right to her. She smiled and chuckled. "Wow," she muttered in amazement. Aang's grin grew out sheer pride. " _That's_ your best line?" she laughed. She grabbed her drink and sipped, secretly composing herself for her longing of his lips.

She pulled her head back as she reeled back in laughter, vigorously shaking her head. Aang only frowned as he lowered his hand. "I thought it was romantic."

"Twinkletoes," she smirked, "if this is your best material, you're not doing a good job so far."

"The blush on your face says otherwise," Aang countered. Toph's laughter halted as her eyes widened. Had her face been flushed for long? She awkwardly coughed. Her face had felt so heated and her throat was dry. "Admit it," Aang continued, "you like this." He grabbed her hand again.

Toph chuckled. "I didn't say anything."

Aang smirked as he moved his right hand (which was free) and placed it on Toph's chest. Her eyes grew wide for a moment but she immediately recovered her expression as she narrowed her brows. She gulped as she felt his hand firmly plant itself on her breast. "Wh‒What are you doing!" she shrieked as she pushed him back.

Aang laughed as he got pushed back to his original spot. "I can feel your heart beating Toph. Sure, my seismic senses won't _ever_ be good as yours, but I've known you long enough to tell when you're lying about how you feel. And even if you won't say it," he pointed to her chest, "Your heart will."

Toph scoffed as a frown fell on her face. "I _clearly_ taught you too well," she muttered. A sly grin grew on her face. "Next time, try feeling my heart without coping a feel."

Aang's eyes widened. "I'm not a molester!"

"Your grasp on my breast says otherwise."

"I was feeling your heartbeat!"

"And _much_ more," Toph added with a chuckle.

Aang's face was flushed as he rolled his eyes. "I would never do that to you!"

Toph shrugged. "Eh, figured there was a reason why you two split," she teased, "You are just too sex crazed—"

"Toph," Aang said dryly. "Can we please talk about us?" She sighed as she shook her head disappointedly. Her moment of teasing only lasted for so long. " _I_ , want to give this a shot." He gestured between them. "I've already poured out all my reasons. And let's face it, you have your reasons too," Toph frowned at that. She didn't needed to be reminded about how much she wanted to kiss him again. "For whatever reason you won't trust me, just give us a chance."

"Aang—"

"Let us see where this takes us," he stated softly. He inched forward and grabbed both hands, caressing them once again. "I want to try this."

"What if it isn't what you want it to be?" Toph asked quietly.

"We won't know until we try," he responded.

"That's not an answer," Toph spat out. "I want to know… if it isn't what you expect." She lifted their hands. "What will happen to us?"

Aang shrugged. "We'll have to find out."

Toph scoffed and frowned. "How can you be so nonchalant about this? We kissed! We broke you and Katara up! We're best friends! How can you want this so much?"

"Because you haven't let go of my hands yet," Aang mentioned slyly. She rose a brow at him, waiting for more. "You haven't denied my kisses recently. You agreed to meeting me. You are curious too… I know it. And knowing that you want to find out, gives me enough reassurance so I can try too."

Toph laughed humorlessly. "I… I… I can't believe this is happening."

"Excuse me?" a voice emerged.

Toph's eyes widened as she immediately retracted her hands. She nervously cleared her throat as she looked over to Taimi. These interruptions were getting on Toph's nerves. Aang was throwing her off her game. Aang sheepishly smiled as he nodded toward the waiter, acknowledging a greeting to him. He looked back and forth between the two. A sly smirk appeared on his face as he gathered an idea of what was going on. "Sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to interrupt." He held the platter of food in his hands with elegance as he bowed his head.

"No, it's fine," Aang assured him as he rose his head.

He approached the table and placed the meals before the two. "Enjoy," he said as he placed the food. "I'll be around, just ring this bell when you need me," Taimi gestured to the bell rested on the table, placed between the two candles in the centre of the table.

"Thank you Taimi," Aang smirked.

Once more, the waiter left the room, leaving the two to their secluded moment. Aang cheekily smiled at Toph as she grabbed her utensils and began digging into her meal. Aang slowly worked on his salad, but his gaze on Toph lingered for seconds on end. After a minute, she decided to press. His staring had unsettled Toph and given her shivers—whether it was the good kind or not eluded her. "What?" she questioned him.

"You can't believe this is happening?" he repeated.

Toph groaned disgustedly. "That isn't what I meant. I meant I can't believe you're doing this, not that we're…" Aang's brows rose in interest, expectantly waiting for her to finish her sentence. "that you want something between us to happen."

"So, you agree to it then?" he asked for clarification, not bothering to hide the excitement in his voice.

"I… yes," Toph answered. Aang's face lit up. "Wait, no, I mean… yes—no. No, but yes!"

Aang laughed at the flustered bender before him. "Need a minute?" he asked with a chuckle in his voice.

Toph narrowed her brows. "Shut it," she muttered. "What I mean is… I do want to give this a shot, but don't… expect anything. I still need time."

"To think?"

"That and… I'm not sure if _I'm_ ready." Aang's brows rose at the statement. That had surprised him. "As much as I… want this… it's, it's hard."

"Because you're scared?"

"I told you," Toph said sternly, "I'm not afraid of anything."

"Then like I said," Aang stated smugly, "Prove it."

Toph narrowed her brows at the Avatar as a frown fell on her face. He was starting to get on her nerves. No matter how many times he said it, or how much he challenged or teased her, Toph wasn't going to let him win. She knew what he wanted. "Fine," Toph grumbled. She leaned forward and grabbed Aang's robe, pulling him close to her face. Despite his confidence and boldness, he still blushed at the sudden action and his heart began to race. Her lips edged closer, just inches away from Aang's. Aang slowly prepared himself as he waited for the gap between them to be closed. His eyes closed as he began to lean forward. "Another date?" she asked in a quiet, coy voice.

Aang opened his eyes with his lips slightly puckered. "Wh‒What?"

"Another date," she stated. "When and where?"

It took a few seconds for Aang to process was she meant. "O‒Oh! Right… um… another date." Toph laughed at the disappointment in his tone. Though he had a smirk, it was obvious he was upset.

"Please Twinkletoes," Toph chuckled. "It'll take a lot more than that for me to start kissing you."

Aang scoffed with a smirk. "Umm, you kissed me first," he reminded her.

"Shut it," she mumbled as she released his robe. Toph backed away, unable to fight her blush. It was strange how the both of them were making bold moves, but were also embarrassed to make those moves. It seemed that the confidence was only temporary.

"How about here?" he offered. "Same time and same place."

"Aren't things already suspicious with us being here? The waiter and hostess have been giving us stares, and I don't like it." Toph jerked her thumb over to the curtains.

Aang laughed. "Well, I kinda asked them to keep things down low." Toph rose a brow and Aang continued, "I asked for a VIP reservation and that it was kept under wraps under the name Kanto. Only Tami and the hostess, Kara, know about our… date."

Toph chuckled. "Wow Twinkletoes, you sure went all out. Desperate for my attention?"

He effortlessly shrugged. "What was I supposed to do? You were keeping me at arm's length."

"I called."

"Once, I did all the calling."

"I talked."

"That you did," Aang smiled, "I was glad that you were willing to talk with me."

Toph smiled back as she grabbed her fork and dug it into her steak. "I was testing the waters."

Aang grinned as he reached for her hand. He placed it on top of her hers and she smiled at the warmful touch. "And how about now? Still testing the waters?"

She nodded, causing him to slightly frown. He rose his brow at her. "I was thinking about things. Over the past few weeks. It's hard for me to comprehend this and understand what _I_ want."

"Thought it was me?"

"Don't push it," Toph muttered through her teeth.

Aang childishly laughed and said, "I'm just reiterating what you said." He grabbed his fork with his free hand and began eating his salad.

"Listen, I'm… I'm still…" Toph paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. It wasn't fair to him, she had made the first move and suddenly she became distant. She owed him honesty. Toph knew this. Toph knew she had to be open with him—she always was. They were always open with each other, _this_ should have made no difference. "afraid," she finished quietly. Too quietly, had it not been such a private room, Aang probably wouldn't have understood her aside from the mouthing of her lips.

She waited for his response, not daring to repeat the word. Aang wasn't going to pressure her into doing so. He knew how confident she was, admitting fear was something he would never imagine from Toph, so he knew how hard it was for her. He was thinking of what to say, without being repetitive or cheesy. He smiled at her, setting down his fork. "It's okay to be afraid Toph," he assured her. "That's what love is like. It's a risk, a risk of your heart. The reason why I am willing to be so risky, is because I wear mine on my sleeve and I do it proudly. I'm not afraid of the consequences… because I have faith. I trust in this."

"Faith, trust…" Toph sighed. "Courage. This all seems to be a lot of feelings just for love."

"Well, love is a bundle of emotions," Aang stated cheerfully.

"It's hard for me to understand."

"I get that," Aang nodded. "I get that you're confused with your emotions and can't tell if your feelings for me are genuine. You're worried that your admiration for me isn't actually love. And you are right to consider that. Admiration isn't enough to fill a heart. But it's a start." His hand slid under hers, leaving his fingers to cup around hers. He dragged his thumb over her knuckles soothingly. "But, don't allow your fear and hesitation to—pardon me for this—blind your feelings." Toph laughed.

"I'm serious," he stressed. "I don't want you to be afraid of me. Afraid of love even. We can't know anything until we try, and fear is the only obstacle."

"That, and the public," Toph muttered.

"That isn't an obstacle to me. Not unless you want it to be," Aang reasoned smugly. "Anything you wish, I will grant. Say the word, and I'll stop. Tell me to tell the world, and I will. I'll follow your guidelines, so long as you are willing to give us a shot."

The blind bender smiled at the Avatar's words. She shook her head as she slowly retracted her hand from Aang's grasp. She used it to grab her spoon and continued to eat her meal. "I'll try," she stated softly.

Aang cheered, "Yes!" He pumped his fists into the air, leaving Toph to scoff.

"Easy Twinkletoes," Toph giggled. If he wasn't cheering out of joy, Aang would have double checked his ears. Toph Beifong giggled, a form of laughter she would never be caught dead doing. "I'm willing to give this a shot. Just… don't expect me to be so open and forward. Give me time."

"Of course."

"You say same place and same time?" she recalled. "When?"

"How about tomorrow?" She narrowed her brows. "Okay, okay, how about Saturday?"

"If I'm busy?"

"I'll drop by and take you out myself," he answered confidently.

"Wow, that's bold."

"With you? I _have_ to be bold."

Toph laughed once again. "At least you get me Twinkletoes."

Aang laughed alongside her. "Don't act like I didn't before. I'm still your best friend."

"The best," Toph added. She slowly maneuvered around the table in search of her glass. She grabbed and rose it in the air. "Toast?"

That surprised Aang. Nonetheless, he granted her request and rose his glass of water. "To new beginnings?"

"To friendship," she compromised. Their glass clinked and they drank their drinks. Toph had downed hers immediately and placed it back on the table. Toph rose a brow as she felt a warm feeling momentarily brush against her hand as she placed the glass. She retracted it and after a moment of pondering, she slightly leaned forward and sniffed the air. An earthy smell. It smelled like fresh plants and nature, she had smelt it before. Upon entering she smelt it, but she assumed it was the natural scent. A sly grin grew on her face as she looked over to Aang, who was eating his salad. "Twinkletoes."

"Yes?"

"Did you get scented candles?"

Aang's eyes widened as his face became slightly flushed. His heart sparked as he stared at Toph. "Uh…" There was no sense in lying, it was obvious and she was Toph. "Yes."

"My, my, Twinkletoes, trying to woo me with scent?"

"No," Aang shook his head. "I… I was trying to set a romantic atmosphere."

"With earth?"

"I thought it was sweet. And so did the hostess."

"So this _was_ a date?" Toph grinned. "Not just a whole declaration meal and all that. It was you trying to get a date?" Her hearty chuckles made Aang sigh in disappointment. Disregarding his embarrassed expression, Toph found the discovery quite amusing and adorable. Though she would never admit the second part, it was still sweet.

"What can I say? I'm desperate," he joked. "Also… now that we're on the topic of, well, us meeting here." Toph mentally frowned. What else could he have to talk about now? "Could you consider enlisting non-benders?"

Toph laughed. "Over my dead body!" She did not think he was serious about that at all.

"Toph, we've seen and encountered countless allies and enemies who were non-benders. Would it really be a crime to consider them as a part of the force?" His statement did not go unnoticed. Toph pondered the argument for a moment and smirked. There was a good point to that.

"Fine." She and Aang shared a smile. "Once non-benders can prove useful, _maybe_ , I'll consider it."

Aang frowned. "Sokka has saved your life before."

"And Ty-Lee beat you guys before," Toph fired back with a smile. "Ooh, maybe there are some useful ones out there. Less they can metalbend, I don't care."

Aang narrowed his brows. "I don't know," he shrugged as a grin grew on his face. "If I can convince you about us, I'm sure I can convince you to enlist non-benders."

"I'd like to see you try."

The topic of conversation had shifted over and over. Aang had asked Toph about work. Though he had always asked her when he called, he was curious if anything had come up over the past few days. She said not much and left it at that. Toph proceeded to ask him about his duties, posing a slight interest. He had been out of the city for a few days, paying a visit to the Northern Water Tribe after the celebration. His visit was completely unnecessary, but he did not have much to do. The conversation about work had become stale, leaving them to fall back onto teasing each other and talking about their friends.

Toph found it strange. It was not like they had not done it before. They had done it plenty of times. In fact when they were younger the two had always talked and laughed by themselves. They occasionally distanced themselves from their comrades to gossip about them. No one was ever bad mouthed or not sincerely at least. Even now, when they had the opportunity to talk together, they would take it. It was a rare opportunity to vent, so whenever they found each other there would be no hesitation to do so. They needed someone to confide in. The world's protector and the toughest Earthbender in the world needed some way to exhaust their bottled up emotions.

Suffice it to say, they both found comfort in each other's presence. Aang had felt like that long before he had feelings for Toph. Toph had always felt that way with Aang. Someone around her age, a personality that nearly matched hers, and a kind hearted soul that was willing to listen. The image of the two made sense. What didn't make sense, was how Toph felt more comfortable this time around. She felt happier and safer. There was a shift in their status, somehow that made Toph happier. She always enjoyed her moments with the airhead, even whilst she liked him. She would never admit it, but she took pleasure in his company.

This time, Toph felt like Aang was more excited. His heart beated with joy, his tone was elated and cheerful, and he laughed nearly every minute. It was then, Toph realized, he was overjoyed to be with her. Literally or on a platonic level, Aang obviously enjoyed being with Toph. Regardless of what title they wore, they were still friends. Very good friends, who only wanted to hang out. Despite the fact that they both wanted to kiss each other. That part was recent of course and was a different story.

"Do you think you think you'll be fine without them?" Toph asked nonchalantly. She was referring to his kids of course, Aang knew that. It was upsetting to bring that topic back, but Toph still had some concern.

Aang shrugged as his smile fell into a half. "It's… going to be hard." He stared up at the ceiling. "Most mornings, Kya would be crying because her diaper needs to be changed. I would drop by Bumi's room to check on him then take care of her. Then when we have breakfast, I would feed Kya as I ate. Immediately after I would play Bumi, watch him play around with some imaginative story of him being a hero." He and Toph shared a small chuckle.

"You are going to miss 'em, aren't you?" Toph asked softly,

Aang nodded. "But Katara allowed me visits. So… there's that. I'll be able to drop by for a few days, to hang out with them."

"How will you handle her?"

"I'm… not sure."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Toph offered with a small smile. She made the offer, because she knew he needed strength. Who better to give strength than the strongest there was."

Aang happily smiled as he looked at Toph. "I would love it if you came along with me." She smiled back. Even at this weird stage of this relationship, they were still friends. A kind gesture Toph would rarely do for anyone else, was be there for them. Aang knew to cherish the moments whenever she offered because it was Toph being nice. He appreciated that she was still there for him. He was his ground after the world got too high. She always kept him grounded. He thanked her for that. The best friend he always could count on.

Regardless, even as friends, Aang still expressed concern to Toph. He was worried that her random travels had some sort of personal secrecy to them and she wasn't sharing everything. He let out a sigh as he pushed away his empty plate. He slowly ate his meal over the course of their conversation. He had been invested into talking more than eating, leaving him with a cold salad and warm glass of water. He still ate it however. "Toph," he said with a smile. "Where have you been going when you leave the city?" Toph's smile slowly faded, but she still granted the respect of looking at his direction. "I'm just curious. Is it work or personal business? Because Hisho tells me that you've been going away on work, but it's weird to have you dealing with crime outside of Republic City."

"Earth Kingdom."

"Problems? Why didn't King Kuei tell me—"

"Not… problems in Ba Sing Se."

"Then where?" Aang questioned. She kept her pointless gaze toward her nearly empty plate as she kept her lips small. "Toph… is it personal?"

She let out a sigh as she stabbed the last piece of her meal. She ate the piece of steak and slowly chewed, leaving Aang to wait with anticipation. She took a huge gulp—whether it was out of nervousness or not eluded Aang. "It was personal," she answered, "It wasn't work."

Aang rose a brow as he nodded his understanding. "Okay? Then what, was it vacation days? Did you—Toph," he frowned. "Are you sick of your staff _again_?" She chuckled in response. He might have given her an out. "Toph, this is the second time you've kicked them out. They're there to help you! You can't keep kicking them out of your house just because you don't want help. There are some things you _do_ need help with."

Toph's brows furrowed as she glanced over at Aang. He stepped over the line. "Oh? So I can't do things by myself?"

He mentally backhanded himself for that comment. Aang had phrased it wrong. "No, I know you can," Aang argued. "Trust me, I know better than everyone else that you can take care of yourself."

"Then why is it _you_ who keeps getting me housemaids and such?" she shot back.

"Because I'm still concerned." He frowned. "There are a great many things you can do on your own, but… cooking?"

"What about it?"

"You set our campfire ablaze once."

"Okay, name another—"

"Doing laundry? Cleaning up after yourself? Basically _any_ housework?"

Toph frowned as she crossed her arms. "So what if my place is a mess? I can live in it!"

Aang rolled his eyes and sighed. "Toph, if you have to keep leaving town because of it then I'm assuming you can't live in it."

Toph's frown fell more. "That's…" She might as well be honest. "not why I leave town."

Aang rose his brow again and asked, "Then why do you leave?"

"Because…" She took a deep breath. "of you."

"Me?" he asked in shock as he placed his hand on his chest. "What did I do?"

"You're not exactly the easiest person to get over Twinkletoes," she mumbled.

Aang's head rose in understanding as his mouth hung open, with the sound, "Oh," constantly hanging out. He smirked as an awkward laugh escaped him. "So… you needed distance, from me?"

"Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hanging out with you." Toph added, "We're best friends—"

"The best!"

"—but it's hard hanging out with you," she said smalley, "Especially when I had a crush on you."

Aang chuckled once again. "How long were you hung up on me?"

" _Twinkles_ ," she said through her gritted teeth.

"You don't have to answer!" he quickly added, though the sound of his chuckle had overlapped his tone. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it again. He rarely got to tease her. She narrowed her eyes and Aang continued to laugh. "I'm sorry, it's just… it's sweet!" he giggled.

Toph scowled at the Airbender. "It was how I dealt with things! You can't hold that against me. I needed time away after we hung out. Or even when you were just brought up a lot."

Aang's expression briefly fell into shock as he heard her. He never thought much about the timeline of it, but it made sense. Often after they talked or hung out or even after a brief encounter, a day or two later Toph would have left the city. He never considered he was the reason. But still, for her to be gone for days at a time. Was she really that hung up on him? He looked at her with a sad smile. He hated the idea of messing with her emotions.

"Stop it," Toph muttered. "I can tell you're pitying me."

"I'm not!" Aang dismissed. "I'm just… sorry that I made you feel that way."

Toph rose a brow in shock, but shrugged. "It's alright."

Aang asked, "Days though?"

"I needed the time," she muttered. "It was alright. I just wandered a bit. Sometimes I went out and camped in mountains or forests. Rarely I would go over to the Swamp."

Aang's eyes widened. "The Swamp? That's days away!"

"Be in tune with the world helps," Toph explained. "It's a good way to get your mind off things. Or even help you realize what you want…"

"Wow…" Aang muttered in amazement. "I'm just sorry—"

"There's no reason for you to be sorry Twinkletoes," Toph responded. She shrugged with a smirk. "It was hard, but I managed."

A moment of silence passed. Aang wasn't sure what to think. Toph sure had her fair share of ups and downs, but to think she had plenty more because of him? It was a lot to swallow with a full stomach. He apologized, but she didn't care. Yet, it still bugged him. Toph Beifong, hung up on Avatar Aang since they were twelve? It was amazing and alarming to hear such news. It was no shocker, but it was still crazy how good Toph was at hiding her emotions. She had shown plenty of interests after the war, it had fooled him.

"So… since we were twelve…" he stated with a smile.

"Alright Airhead, if this is how you're going to treat me I'm going to leave now," she barked out. Toph rose out of her seat, only to be stopped by Aang's hands.

He pulled her down as he laughed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's just… it really is shocking to me. You. Toph Beifong, loved—"

"Had a crush on!" she corrected with a blush.

"Too late, you said it before!" he argued. Toph scoffed as she looked the other way. "Listen, I'm sorry for teasing you. It's not every day Toph Bei—" he stopped himself as he felt the blind glare. "Okay, I'm not teasing! I'm just saying. It's surprising." Toph groaned out of irritation. "Toph, it's okay."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Toph muttered. "It's kinda hard not to be embarrassed," she said as her blush slightly faded. All this love nonsense really was going to make her vulnerable. "So… we done?" she asked quietly.

Aang chuckled. "I mean, anything else you wanna talk about it?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I need to stop talking with you and get to work." Toph's sly smirk made Aang laugh. "Wow, ditching _you_ for _work_."

"Oh come on, we've only been here for an hour and… eleven minutes?" Aang muttered as he looked at the clock above the curtain doors.

"Really?" Toph asked, shocked. "That's actually… consistent for us."

"Right?" Aang cheered. "Come on, a few more minutes?"

Toph narrowed her brows. "What did you skip out on to do this?"

Aang sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he answered, "Zuko wanted to meet with me."

"Seriously Twinkletoes?"

"It wasn't urgent! I'm sure he just wants to check up on me." Aang shrugged as he wore a nonchalant look. "He said he just wants to talk with me. It's hardly important."

"Aang," Toph scolded.

"Okay, okay, I'll leave," Aang conceded. He proceeded to toss a few coins onto the table. "I'll call you?" he leaned over to kiss Toph. Never had he seen such a scramble to evade him. She toppled back and would have nearly fallen off the seat had Aang not grabbed her. He seethed as he firmly gripped her wrist and pulled her close. "Too much?" he asked as she steadied her.

She awkwardly laughed. "Uh, no! I mean… I don't mind! It was just… it caught me off guard." Toph blew the air out from her cheeks as her hand found Aang's. He made a move to leave but she tightened her grasp. "Wait! I… I'm not… against the idea…" she whispered.

Aang smiled as he leaned forward. He moved to her right cheek and pecked it. "Small steps?" he clarified.

Toph sighed contently as she nodded. She cleared her throat and said, "Yup! Small steps… right." She secretly wished that his lips had found hers instead of her cheek. At least she now knew how not to act in regards to affection.

"I'll call," he said as he walked away. "Have a great day!" Aang shouted as he faded behind the curtains.

Just like that, the light footsteps grew lighter, and he was gone. She sighed exhaustedly as her hands found themselves in her hair. Toph had _no_ idea what she was doing. She was deeper than she had ever been. She had a feeling Earth/Metalbending wouldn't get her out of this—whatever it was. A relationship, problem, situation, pact. Whatever it was, she needed to do something she had never done: confront her feelings. This was a new Toph, a new Beifong. She was going to be different for sure.

…

"There is _no_ way Dad would be that bold!"

Tenzin's voice had rung out loudly. His tone was one of shock, it did not sound aggressive or like denial. It almost sounded elated. Toph had averted her gaze over to the Master Airbender. "Yeah, I didn't think so either!" Toph chuckled as she shook her head. "I was shocked too!"

"But, days after they broke up?" Korra asked.

"He spent two years of his life in a complicated marriage. He and Katara had been trying too hard from the start." Toph's scoff was something they had gotten use to this evening. "He and Katara had been through a lot. Don't get me wrong, him being so quick to fill her place actually crossed my mind. There was something about how eager he was. But really, he was just quick to explore. Me kissing him, I had no idea how much passion that unlocked. He was in a rough state and I guess I pushed him out."

"I get it," Kya spoke up. Tenzin threw an alarmed look over to his sister. He waited for her to elaborate. "I mean, if things were really as bad as they were, that kiss between him and Toph must have really affected him. Think about it!" she added.

"Something he never felt before," Bumi whispered.

"Exactly," Toph nodded. "Believe me, I was surprised. That's why I was hesitant to even consider dating him."

"But, it was such a sweet date!" Jinora's voice rung out, completely full of sweetness and awe.

Toph sighed as she shook her head. There was faint blush, but she would never admit there was. "It was… nice." She smiled. "I never knew he could be so bold. I never knew he would be so good at coaxing someone into something, while also not coaxing them into anything. He actually took it slow with me."

"Why were you so scared?" Suyin inquired.

"Because love is scary," Toph simply responded. No hesitation and no frail tone. "Like he told me, it's always a risk. I sucked at love. I could never admit my feelings and was terrible at being open. Heck, I still am!" Toph sighed. "But… love is like trust. Boy, did I trust the Spirits out of that dunderhead."

"So, answer honestly, did you enjoy the date?" Asami asked.

"Why are _you_ so curious?" Korra asked.

"Oh come on, Bolin's thinking the same thing!" Asami pointed an accusing finger over to the red faced Earthbender.

His voice reached an unmanly squeal as he said, "What! How dare you—" Asami's glare caused him to nervously chuckle. "Okay… but we're all thinking the same thing!" he exclaimed defensively.

Few of the group nodded, but Toph and Katara's kids chose to make not comment though some of their expressions had given them away. Regardless, they threw their glances over to Toph and waited for a response. She sighed again as she complied to their silent requests. "Yes, I did," she mumbled.

"Ah, come again?" Korra asked.

"I can still hurt you, you know!" Toph barked.

"I actually didn't hear you!" Korra innocently replied.

Tenzin smirked as he looked over to Korra. "I believe she said yes." He sure enjoyed teasing her as well.

Toph groaned and threw a blind glare over to Tenzin. "Why are you having fun with this?" The question had slipped out. As curious as she was, she was not willing to put their bond on the line so soon. She didn't mean to be so testy. "I mean, it's strange."

Tenzin sighed. "I'm warming up to it." He shrugged. "But I would love to hear more. After hearing about this first date, I would not mind listening to what else happened."

Toph, in a delicate soft tone, asked, "Really?"

He half smiled. "Yes."

She was just about ask that they have dinner or something. She wanted a break. It was actually a ploy just to get away from storytelling. It was tiring to talk about the story of one's love life. Toph did enjoy talking about herself, but in this occasion, it was different. She was uncomfortable with talking about her love life. She did enjoy her time with Aang, she was smitten with him in fact. But it was still strange for her to tell her kids, Katara's kids, even the new Team Avatar, about their time together. Nevertheless, she still complied.

"Alright, well, after the date Aang was making some progress," Toph began. "It was like, one step at a time. He called every night, like he promised. Our second date went well. He and I talked about work again. He teased me again, I got bratty and stubborn and pouted. Then he asked for another kiss. It was quick and sweet."

"The kiss or the date?" Korra teased.

"It was a nice date," Toph continued, ignoring the Avatar. "He was kind and slow with me. I was still… nervous…" she mumbled. "But, it went well. After that, we talked whenever we could. He would drop by the station, I would call, we'd have lunch somewhere private. Even then, I still kept him at arm's length majority of the time." Even though she wanted to kiss him senseless, but she chose to leave out. "I think two weeks goes by? He came by my place to surprise me. Then, he started to push on with our relationship. It was clear that he needed me as a friend and more. He needed me to help him move on."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this one! Seriously, writing Toph is hard... but still fun. Please lemme know how I'm doing so far, it's been hard. Also, story has gone through some changes and is now titled, "Legends of Aang: The Untold Story" and is now in the ATLA community. I did this because it doesn't really fit with Korra since it's not about those characters much.**_

 _ **TakatoMakino: Thanks! Warms my heart to read! Hope you stick around!**_

 ** _Review, favourite, and follow! Reviews keep me going! Thanks for reading!_**

 ** _Until next time,_**

 ** _Bleh_**


	6. Moving Fast Rarely Lasts

**Moving Fast Rarely Lasts**

Nowadays, it was unusually quiet around Air Temple Island. The halls that used to echo with laughter and joy, now dwelled in silence. Cheers once roamed around the corridors, and happiness was spilled into nearly every room. There was joy and it was nice. Now, there was an emptiness. It was strange how a temple full of Acolytes could still feel so barren at times. The master quarters lacked any semblance of noise. Childish squeals and giggles were now just faint echoes. The temple had lost something. It lacked everything, and Aang needed everything.

The first week wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He managed by staying out of the temple. The trip to the Northern Water Tribe helped, as it offered him distance and was a legitimate excuse. But when he was in Republic City, Aang kept out of the temple for as long as possible. He only returned for rest, but even then, the nights were hard. He lied awake some nights, remembering that he would have usually been awoken by the cries of his daughter. He would slowly rush over to her room, take care of her, then lull her to sleep. Afterward, he would check up on Bumi and find him awake sometimes, because of Kya's crying. Again, Aang would lull his child to sleep, joy spread across his face. Then, after everyone was sound asleep, Aang would go to bed.

Although his night was abrupted by the cries of his kids, Aang enjoyed the moment. It was a good reminder that he would be there for his children when they needed them most. It was a proud moment for him, a moment of fatherhood that he would never trade. But now, his nights were full of dead silence. The sounds of his children's echoes were all that lingered. Occasionally, he passed by their rooms and frowned at the sight of their status. They lacked the childish joy. There were rarely any toys left—Katara had taken nearly all of them. Some were left behind, Aang didn't really know why. Perhaps she was in a hurry to leave, or maybe she wanted to have some for when they visited. Regardless, there was no one to touch them or to play with them.

The thought of a symbol of joy being so lonely and depressing pained Aang's heart. He planned on giving some to orphanages or to his Acolytes who had children of their own. The idea was not fully in effect, as he had some sentiment toward the items. He was not even sure if Katara would bring the kids to visit him, so he didn't want to chance losing his only memories of the sweet children. But he still had faith she would be easy on him as he visited. Aang had gone on for too long thinking about his kids and thought visiting soon would be a good idea. He just wasn't sure if sending a letter was better than calling. He did not want to push his boundaries and make her feel uncomfortable.

Sure, he still felt uncomfortable in the matter, but that would not be an issue. Toph would be there for him, like always. She was able to make him smile and keep him in good spirits. The second week was when they had their first date, when she offered to try. For the past few weeks she had kept his mind off the kids situation up until he returned home. Of course, Toph wouldn't push the topic at all, since he already brought up before he was going to miss them, she took that as the discussion ended. He knew she was not going to ask him to elaborate, since she wouldn't even do that for herself about her own feelings. Aang wasn't ready to talk about things like that with Toph. He was not sure about how she would react.

Regardless of his doubts, he still tried to be open. But by the Spirits, he had a hard time focusing on topics when he spent time with Toph. They always bounced around discussions and rarely ever remained focused when they were together. They could really harm each other's performance and schedules. As of that current moment, Aang was suppose to be listening to Zuko, but he was busy thinking about what he could do for Toph. He wanted another date night, but thought dropping by her place would surprise her best, as he knew she returned home late today. Aang smiled giddily as he thought about the scenario.

Zuko, who sat across his office desk from Aang, rose a brow and stopped mid-discussion as he noticed the Avatar's change in expression. "Aang? What do you think?"

Aang rose his head up from his deep well of thinking and looked at Zuko. "Uhh, come again?"

"The motion that the United Forces should consist of Waterbenders from the Watertribes as well?" Zuko asked.

"I just think it's sudden," Sokka chimed in. He was sat in the chair beside Aang. After their Council meeting, the three had a private meeting of their own to discuss certain topics in more depth. Well, at least two of them intended to, but Aang was slowly piecing together the topic. He had almost forgot his surroundings. "Right after the North agree to Council meetings, and representatives, and trades—we ask them to lend troops to the United Forces?"

Zuko nodded. "I thought the same as well." The Fire Lord proceeded to pick up his pen, starting to take more notes. They had planned to bring this discussion up in the next meeting.

Aang glanced back and forth between his friends and nodded. "Same." They looked to him, waiting for him to elaborate since he kept silent for majority of their discussion. "We shouldn't ask so much of them too quickly, or all at once." The two nodded in agreement. "Also, the Southern Water Tribe is _still_ working on it's own army as well. They're trying to solidify their Navy and we shouldn't ask for them to divide their forces. The South is only _just_ defendable right now. Sparing troops to our forces would only leave them vulnerable. And not necessarily to other nations, but to any threat."

"Exactly," Sokka agreed. "Plus, at least a quarter of Waterbenders from there become focused healers, we wouldn't need that many medics in the field. And we can't assume every healer will have the skill of a waterbender master. We wouldn't exactly have the firepower we expect, thus forcing the North to give more."

"Then the North would complain about how the South isn't contributing, and a whole debate will start and we might even lose _both_ Tribes," Aang brought up tiredly. He hated discussing things like these, it was too back and forth, and he disliked thinking about any more conflict between nations.

"Yes, but couldn't we argue the same issue for the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation? Complaints can be made that the Water Tribe isn't pulling their weight in the United part of the whole United Nations." Zuko offered the idea with a exhausted tone. "Let's face it, someone will be displeased."

"We'll just have to compensate for that," Sokka countered. "We can't please everyone," he reminded Zuko. Though they all knew this already, as it was a motto to live by, it was nice to be reminded every now and then. Politics were always rough for the three. Reminders like those were always appreciated. Sokka rested his elbow on his armrest as he laid his cheek in the palm of his hand. "We can leave both Water Tribes alone until either one are ready to give their share. We can push the idea toward them, but won't expect anything of them and say they don't have to contribute until they are ready."

The Fire Lord sighed at Sokka's comment. "But, wouldn't they assume we're pitying them or looking at them at a—"

"Zuko, it's five in the afternoon and the meeting ended an hour ago!" Sokka whined. "I just wanna get to the docks and take Suki home! I don't want to be late!"

Zuko chuckled at his friend's outburst as a smile grew on his lips. "Ah, that's right, Suki's in town! How long is she staying?"

"A month," Sokka said in a sweet tone. "All mine!" he threw his arms into the air with an elated cheer. His smitten tone was accompanied with a sly grin.

Aang shook his head. "Alright, calm down there buddy. Don't need hear about anymore of you running around."

Sokka laughed. "Kids? No way am I ready for that…" He sighed.

"Sokka is right though," Aang reasoned, "He and I were going to pick up Suki right as she arrived."

Sokka eagerly nodded as he asked, "So, meeting adjourned?" He looked to Zuko desperately.

He gave a nod. "Yeah, yeah, go see your wife." The two had never seen the non-bender run faster than he just had. He was out of the office within seconds, faster than Aang processed. Zuko laughed alongside the Avatar, muttering something about a lovesick Polar Bear Dog. Zuko looked at Aang as he rose out of his chair, making a move to leave. "Hey, do you have plans tonight?" he asked in a cheery tone.

Aang stopped himself and turned back to Zuko. "Why?" he asked with a curious smile.

"Well, you can come over my place if you want? I'm about to finish up here soon—just a few more papers to sign then I'll leave." He gestured to the neatly organized mess in front of him. Aang's skeptical look made Zuko rephrase the question. "We don't have to eat at my place. We can go out, maybe Kwong's Cuisine even? I haven't been there yet but I've heard nothing but good reviews."

"Oh really? I've gone a few times."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, their salads are amazing!" Aang cheered. "I've also heard that the steak is divine."

Zuko rose a brow as he asked, "When did you go?"

"Like two weeks ago."

"Really?" he replied in shock, "Didn't think you would be going out then." Zuko smiled as he asked, "So wanna go then? I'm sure we can pull strings to get a last minute reservation."

Aang sighed and closed his eyes. Upon opening them, he responded in a light tone, "Zuko, I appreciate you and all, but I don't like you in that way—"

"I'm not asking you out, you buffoon!" Zuko shouted. Aang laughed at his reply. "I just want hang out! Okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry," Aang said with a smile. "It's alright Zuko."

"You sure?" he questioned him, "You haven't spoken much about it since the last time we spoke, which was two weeks ago mind you! And apparently you've been off having dinners at fancy restaurants in that time." He was digging, Aang had to change topics.

Aang rose his hand to signify a stop. "Zuko, I'm okay, don't worry."

"I'm just worried about you Aang. You seem distracted recently."

The Avatar rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, the meeting was boring me a bit. _Then_ you ask me and Sokka to have another proceeding that meeting? Of course my mind is going to wander!"

"Aang."

"Listen, if anything comes up, you'll be the first to know," Aang spoke in a soft tone, "I promise." Zuko found comfort in that statement and smiled at Aang. Aang mimicked the smile and added, "Besides, I _do_ have plans."

"Work doesn't count Aang, you need to socialize—"

"I am!" he grinned. "I've been out more recently and I haven't been happier." Aang's smile was genuine. He had meant those words truthfully. Toph just had that effect on him. "It's been nice chatting, but I gotta go Zuko!"

Zuko sighed, conceding all arguments and nodded his understanding at Aang. "Alright, I'll see you at the next meeting."

Aang nodded. "Right back at ya! Have a good day and don't work yourself too hard!" he shouted as he exited the office. He rushed through City Hall's halls. He passed by plenty of workers, bidding them farewells as they did him. He exited through the garden, where rested his lifelong flying companion. He grinned at the Bison's mellow state. "Appa!" he whooped as rushed over to him.

The Bison tiredly opened his eyes and glared at Aang, bellowing a small roar. "Aww, I know I took long buddy—Zuko needed Sokka and I."

"Come on Aang!" Sokka shouted as he appeared from the same door Aang had exited from. He had a small dark beige bag in his right hand. "I'm ready!"

Aang grinned, "Alright, to the docks!" Using a small gust of wind, the Avatar propelled himself up into the air and onto Appa's head. He grabbed the reigns and patiently waited for Sokka to climb on. "Yip yip!" Aang shouted. They immediately took to the skies, flying over the tall buildings and over to the docks.

"So…" Sokka started. He was sat near the front of the saddle. "Have you heard from Katara?"

" _Sokka_ ," Aang muttered.

He rose his hands in innocence. "I'm just asking! I received a letter from Katara this morning." Aang rose his brows in interest, but kept his back to Sokka—he didn't need to react. "I was just wondering if you got one too…"

"I'm not sure, Shin didn't say anything of any mail from the Southern Water Tribe." Aang shrugged nonchalantly. "Mine might arrived—or perhaps she never wrote."

"Aang—"

"What did it say?" he quickly asked, negating whatever Sokka was about to say.

Sokka sighed. "It was good things," he stated softly. The wind had picked up most of what he said, but Aang heard him. "She's settled and doing fine. Bumi and Kya are alright!"

Aang smiled, "Glad to hear that."

Sokka shook his head as he hesitated his next question. "Are you sure you're alright?" No answer. "Aang."

"I'm fine Sokka," he responded. At least, he was fine. That was until he mentioned _her_. "I'm doing okay."

"Heard you've been working with Toph recently." Aang's face froze. He hoped the non-bender wouldn't question it any further. "It's good to hear you're with friends." Aang found relief in Sokka's words. He was glad that was how everyone saw it—just close friends.

"I'm glad too," Aang responded, wearing a grin. "It's nice to have Toph here for more than a week or two. I haven't spoken with her in a three months—we're catching up on lost time." He stopped himself, assuming he was over explaining nothing.

"When are you going to see her?"

"Not sure." Aang shrugged. "She's probably working right now, so I'm not sure. I may drop by." He had hoped maybe that was inconspicuous enough. It was just friends hanging out, nothing for Sokka to read into.

"I was talking about Katara," Sokka added dryly.

"Oh," he muttered. "Uh, pretty soon I imagine." Aang turned back and smiled at Sokka, "I want to see Bumi and Kya."

Sokka nodded. "Good, that's good." There was pause as he lingered on the rest. "Perhaps the four of us should go? If you want. Toph and Zuko may need a break, and Katara might want to see friendly faces."

Aang scoffed as he turned around. "Then why is Toph going?" he mused. He was not opposed to bringing all of them along, as that would work better than just him and Toph. It would be less awkward and Katara wouldn't read into anything.

"She might be calming down," Sokka reasoned.

"Does the letter say that?" Aang quipped.

"No, it doesn't."

"Good to hear," Aang stated sarcastically. Aang didn't mean to come off upset or anything along those lines. He sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, we can all go." He could tell Sokka was grinning. "Sokka, are you going to tell Suki about everything?"

"If you don't mind?"

Aang didn't know what to say. He did not want an image of being some playboy among his friends, regardless if he knew they wouldn't see him that way. He just wanted to drop the topic and did not want anyone to bring it up anymore, or else he'd have to go through the troubles of explaining. He already had trouble understanding most of what happened. "She's your wife, a close friend, why would I mind?"

"Then why ask?"

"I was wondering… is all." Aang smirked. "Here we are!"

Appa bellowed a small roar as he descended, drawing all attention toward him. There was a thunderous echo as Appa landed on the pier. Aang sighed and muttered, "Nice subtly buddy." Few dozen people began to stare at them upon their landing, whilst half of them began walking over to them. Aang hopped down immediately and began to look around for Suki.

Sokka grinned as he quickly hopped down Appa, clambering down his leg. With eagerness and anticipation rising, Sokka immediately scanned the arriving docked boats. He asked Aang, "Do you see the Earth Kingdom boat?"

Aang answered, "Not yet. Oh, it's down there!" he pointed toward the far end of the alignment of boats.

Sokka wore a happy smile as he rushed over to Aang. "Where!" he questioned him. He saw the direction of Aang's finger, and ran off.

"Sokka—"

"Oh, Avatar Aang!" a voice whooped. Aang turned around to see a group of onlookers nearing him. A man shouted, "I heard there would be a chance I'd run into the Avatar at Republic City, but I didn't think it would be so soon!" he chuckled.

Aang sighed and smiled at the group. "Afternoon everyone!" He waved, a woman swooned. "Don't mind me, just picking up a friend." He immediately hopped back on Appa and whispered, "Over there buddy." He pointed over to the giant boat docked in the far end. It had the symbol of the Earth Kingdom plastered on its sides. Appa acknowledged Aang's directions and sauntered over to the boat, practically catching up with Sokka. Once they stopped, Aang hopped down and landed behind Sokka, who was frantically looking around the crowd exiting the ship.

"Do you see her? Do you see her?" Sokka asked as he began to hop up and down.

Aang laughed. "Jump on Appa, you'll have a better view."

Sokka's eyes widened as he finally met his target. "Nevermind, found her," he pointed over to the top of the ramp. Aang immediately looked over to the direction of Sokka's finger and smiled once he saw Suki. She was wearing her Kyoshi Warrior outfit, which was slightly modified from when she was younger. She wasn't wearing her traditional makeup, but it was still done the same way like back then. The green robes remained the same colour, slightly darker, but her armour was a black coated metal. Each shoulder pad had a dark green Earth Kingdom symbol and her wrappings around the waist were replaced with a slightly lighter green buckle. Of course, her signature fans were attached to the belt and remained the same—weapons that never failed her. Even in her thirties, she was still beautiful, something Sokka never failed to remind her. "Suki!" he screamed as he ran toward her.

Her face lit up once she heard the familiar voice. She desperately scanned her surroundings in search for her husband. However, she didn't need to look so hard as it was obvious that the buffoon pushing everyone out of the way was Sokka. She giggled to herself as she walked over. Carrying her belongings in both hands barely hampered her pace but Sokka covered the distance so she didn't have to travel far. He ran right toward her and hugged her, lifting her up in his arms and forcing her to drop the luggage. He hoisted her up by her waist and whooped her name as loud as he could. Aang laughed at the sight as he walked over with Appa. The crowd emerging from the boat moved aside for the large Bison, sidestepping to the ends of the boat's docking platform.

"Oh I've missed you!" Sokka exclaimed as he lowered his wife down to the ground. He placed a quick kiss on her and pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers as they both breathed into each other's faces, taking in the other's breath.

"I missed you too," Suki whispered. She went in for another kiss, lasting a few seconds longer. The kiss had awkwardly left Aang to look away at his feet to occupy his time. When they pulled away they were both slightly breathless, immersed in their embrace. "Oh, Spirits, I _really_ missed you."

Sokka's eyes eagerly widened as his brows rose. "Really now? Good thing my schedule is clear for tonight. And tomorrow morning." He winked at her.

"Ooh, now I'd like that," Suki grinned excitedly.

"Would you now?" Sokka coyly asked as he picked up Suki's luggage. He effortlessly picked up the one bag whilst Suki chuckled at his question. He grinned at her and threw the bag behind him.

Aang's eyes widened at the fast approaching bag, but a quick flick of wind redirected the bag onto Appa's saddle. The sound of something crashing was heard, leaving Aang to cringe. "Hope nothing fragile was in that one," Aang muttered.

"Oh yeah," Suki replied, eyes still on Sokka, "that was just the gifts I got everyone." Her tone was nonchalant but Aang's expression shifted into a frown.

Sokka ignored the statement as he threw the second bag toward Aang. This one, Aang caught with his hands. Aang lowered it down to his stomach as he readjusted his grip. " _Sokka_ ," he groaned.

"Oh right, there's Aang," Sokka calmly said as he backed away and jerked his thumb over to him. Sokka noticed the backpack Suki was wearing and asked, "Want him to take it?"

Aang's immediate frown was noticed. "No, I can carry it." Suki giggled as she rushed over to the Avatar. "Hi Aang," she greeted.

Aang smiled and tossed the bag up onto Appa's saddle. Once his hands were free he opened his arms and hugged Suki as she approached him. "Hey Suki," he greeted.

"It's good to see you again."

"Likewise," Aang agreed as she pulled away. "How are you doing?"

"Fine. I'm doing swell," Suki answered cheerfully. "How about you?" she asked as the two began to walk over to Appa.

"Never better," Aang answered truthfully. He propelled himself up onto Appa with a gust of air and landed on his head. "Shall we?"

Sokka quickly trailed behind and offered his hand to help Suki up. She rolled her eyes at the gesture but accepted, using his knee and shoulder as steps onto the Bison. Sokka groaned at each step but made no complaints. He hopped right up and smiled as he sat beside his wife. He took her hand with his and held it softly.

"Yip, yip," Aang announced. They were up in the air in no time.

"So, Aang how's everything been?" Suki asked curiously.

Sokka pouted as he tightened his hold on Suki's hand. "Hey, what about me?" he whined.

Suki playfully pet his hand and laughed. "Aww. Sweetie, we can talk about you later." She turned back to Aang and smiled. "Anyways, Aang?"

Aang sighed as he shrugged. "Not much. Well, actually a lot… in the past few weeks."

"I imagine," Suki replied, there was an excited edge to her voice. "I mean, lots of action right?"

Aang nodded. "Yup, helped Toph with a gang."

"Yeah, yeah." Suki nodded. She proceeded to list everything on her hands, "Action like gangs, politics, parties," she paused and a sly grin grew, " _lips_."

Aang's face was instantly flushed. Sokka immediately burst out into laughter as he rolled to the back of the saddle. Suki hurriedly crawled over to Aang and sat behind him, furiously tapping his shoulder. Once he turned around she ordered, "Spill."

Aang was shocked for moment, but eventually he found the words. "Wh–What? How do you know?"

"Aang, I was assigned head guard for that meeting with the White Lotus," Suki stated simply. "Of course I'm gonna find out things when the top members have to suddenly cancel their meeting to have a private one. And all just for a phone call?" She looked at Aang mischievously. "Now spill."

"We were drunk," Aang added defensively.

"Who is 'we'?" Suki asked.

Aang's brow rose as he stared at her. So she didn't know everything. Aang sighed. "Toph and I."

"Toph?" Suki exclaimed. "Toph Bei Fong, and _you_."

" _She_ initiated the kiss," Aang said pointedly.

Sokka rose up from the back of the saddle with a disappointed look. "Hey, you never told me that."

Aang smirked as he looked to Sokka. "You didn't ask."

"Alright, what happened specifically?" Suki asked, ignoring her husband's whines.

"What did you hear at that meeting?"

"The Avatar kissed someone at the Northern Tribe Celebration Gala," Suki answered simply.

"Toph and I got bored at the gala, we had some whiskey, champagne," Aang lifted his head up as he pondered more on the past, "I think there was some wine." He noticed Suki's curious brow and continued, "But that doesn't matter. Basically, she and I did our regular routine—"

"Annoying guests and leaving the party early?" Suki guessed.

Aang smiled as he pointed at Suki, "That's the one!" He chuckled. "But yeah, we walked over to the city park and sat on a bench and… talked, like usual," Aang added. "Then we started talking about me and Katara… and how things between us—"

"Are kinda unstable?"

"Yup," the Avatar agreed. "Then we—" What was he doing? He swore never to tell anyone else, yet he was about to tell Suki and Sokka everything. He did not fail to notice Sokka's rising interest as he moved closer to Suki. He couldn't tell them, because they would learn about him and Toph. "Kept talking about our lives, I _think_ ," Aang mentioned heavily, "The rest of the night slipped away. I woke the next day and thought the kiss was a dream."

Suki eyed Aang suspiciously, to which he sighed with a shrug. "Dang… how is Toph taking it?"

"Pretty well!" Aang answered almost immediately. "I mean, we're just friends and we messed around, right?" he asked hopefully. "It wasn't anything serious and it was just a kiss."

Suki smiled, "Well that's… nice to hear I guess?" Aang turned around and grabbed Appa's reigns. She looked to Sokka for help but he only waved her to pursue. "What about Katara?" she asked, "What does she think of this?"

Aang let out a brief sigh. "She and I… broke up."

"Oh my Spirits," Suki exclaimed. She reached for Aang's shoulder and caressed it caringly. "I'm so sorry Aan—"

"Don't be," Aang responded, "we all knew that it wasn't healthy at all. Me doing this, it was enough to push her to break it off. We had an argument—again—and of course she left things in…" Sokka was there, he couldn't bad mouth his sister any longer. "Her favour," he muttered. "She took the kids and moved back to the Southern Water Tribe."

"Oh…" Suki said softly. "I'm… I… how are you?"

He thought of Toph. He recalled her smile, her presence, and the joy he had. He was fine. Aang turned around and beamed a truly sincere smile, "I'm fine Suki."

The smile had caught the married couple off guard. It was the smile of a happy one hundred twelve year old all over again. He was elated, joyful. "That's nice," Suki replied sincerely. "Well, you know Sokka and I are here for you."

Aang nodded. "Yes I know. But don't worry, I'm doing fine."

The conversation ended off on a strange note, to which Sokka privately mentioned to Suki, "We're thinking of visiting her soon. All of us, we're planning on going together." He nodded off to Aang. "He might need that now." Suki nodded her agreement.

"Well, uh, here you are," Aang announced as they rapidly descended. Once more Appa bellowed whilst they landed. Suki and Sokka's house was one of a small neighborhood. It was a fairly large house, with a nicely decorated green and dark green roof. It was a home for the two, and it was enough for them to be happy. A nice place for two people who loved each other. A place for them to settle and enjoy one another. Aang internally smiled at the thought, as he suddenly thought of Toph. "Need help with the bags?" he asked as he saw Sokka pick up both luggages.

Sokka's brows rose and a smile grew. "Oh yeah actual—"

"Great!" Aang mischievously grinned as he flicked a small gust of wind with his right hand. The air slightly blew Sokka back a bit, forcing him to stumble right off the saddle.

"Aurgh!" Sokka winced upon landing on the hard pavement. Suki and Aang peeked over the edge of Appa's saddle and witnessed Sokka planted on his stomach, with Suki's bags on top of him. He rose his right hand and pointed his index finger. "Okay… I deserve that…" he mumbled as his arm fell tiredly.

Aang and Suki shared a laugh as they climbed down. Suki grabbed her bags off Sokka and smiled at Aang. "Do you want to come in? We could talk for a bit, I can whip up some classic Iroh Tea?" she suggested temptingly. While working at the Earth Kingdom, Suki had obviously visited Iroh during her free hours and learned somethings. Iroh was getting of old age—everyone was aware of this—and he must have felt like it was his duty to pass on his recipe. And with Zuko's distance, Suki had become the best choice. Though it wasn't exactly like his tea, Suki's was damn near close.

Everyone loved Iroh's tea. Aang hated to pass up on the offer, as he had not seen the wise old friend in months and a taste of something familiar would have been enough to reconcile. But he wanted to see Toph. "No, no, I'd hate to intrude on your evening any longer," Aang responded respectfully. He leaned over as Sokka propped himself up. Aang hugged Suki and whispered in her ear, "Your husband kinda has… needs."

Upon pulling away he found a flushed Suki. She turned her head away and coughed. "Yeah, uh… right," she nervously stammered.

Aang enjoyed teasing the married couple any chance he got. They were quite active alone together, but once called out one of them would be expected to be embarrassed. "Right, so I'll be on my way!" he shouted as he propelled himself onto Appa's saddle. "I'll talk to you soon okay? We could all have a meetup!" he suddenly suggested excitedly. The idea had _just_ popped into his mind. Being together like friends was something Aang wanted.

"Aw, I'd love that," Suki cooed cheerfully.

"Yeah, not a bad idea Aang," Sokka commended.

Aang smiled as he grabbed Appa's reigns. "Great! I'll call Zuko some time and we can set up a date! Yip yip," Aang shouted. The married couple waved at the two Airbenders as they took to the skies. "Bye!" Aang shouted. He had heard a faint reply from the two. He smiled as he looked up in the clouds. He was fine.

 _::::_

"Alright," Bumi groaned upon rising out of his seat. "I need a break."

All eyes were thrown to him. Tenzin flipped around and questioned, "Seriously? After everything else she said _that's_ what makes you want to take a break?"

Bumi furrowed a brow at his younger brother and scoffed. "No." He stretched his back, bending it backward whilst he kept his hands on his hips. "My bladder is what's making me want to take a break."

"Oh," Tenzin muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed for his reaction. He scanned his surroundings and sighed. "Yes, perhaps it would be best if we all take a break."

"Aww man!" Bolin whined. Mako immediately elbow his brother, causing him the wince in pain. "Ow! Hey I'm not the only one who wants more!" he shouted.

Mako rolled his eyes as he rose out of his seat. Soon enough everyone else began to stretch and rise. Mako and Bolin collected everyone's cups and decided to make more tea. Kya remained seated much like Tenzin's kids were, but that was out of tiredness. The Bei Fong sisters had quickly stepped aside and began talking with one another. Korra made a move to talk to Toph, but Asami had pulled her aside. Everyone sensed Tenzin wished to have some words with Toph. Tenzin glanced over to his family and noticed the weary looks upon them. He made his way over to his wife and smiled. Resting his hand on her shoulder, he asked, "How are you doing darling?"

Pema smiled back at Tenzin as she caressed Rohan in her arms, the toddler was fast asleep. "I'm fine dear." Tenzin's hand found itself on her cheek. As he began to stroke his wife's face Pema added, "Please don't worry about me. This is important to you."

Tenzin smiled as he pecked Pema's forehead. "It's getting late dear. Why don't you take the kids to bed?"

"Aww," the three children whined.

"But Dad," Jinora pouted, "I _really_ want to hear more!"

"Me too!" Ikki stepped up and out of her seat.

Tenzin chuckled at his kids, their childish faces made him smile. "Sorry kids but it is getting late." He turned to Rohan and leaned over to kiss his forehead. He rose up and looked Pema in the eyes. "I'll be fine."

Pema's worrisome expression did not falter.

" _Pema_."

" _Tenzin_ ," she chided loudly. Her eyes narrowed at him.

Tenzin sighed as he glanced back at Toph, who began strolling over to the edge of the courtyard. She was just before the small downcline. "I don't know when I'll join you." He turned back to his wife and smirked. "But I promise I'll tell you all about it." he then looked over to his children. "All of you," he added.

Pema sighed concedingly as she nodded. "Of course dear," she whispered as she backed away. She stuck out her hand, waiting expectantly for one of her children to grab it. "Come on now!" Pema ordered. Meelo complied and held his mother's hand as they walked away. Ikki followed after with a pout, while Jinora stood still and eyed her father sadly.

"Jinora," Tenzin scolded softly. "Go to bed."

"I'm not a child Dad," she retorted. "I've been obsessed with Gramp Gramp's stories and I just want to know more. I don't need a bedtime, I'm a Master Airbender, I'm—"

"Still my daughter," Tenzin interjected. He cocked his head to the right and chuckled. "You do have my stubbornness. Sweetheart, I know you are the most invested and interested when it comes to our family's history. I deeply appreciate that. But you and your siblings must be treated fairly sometimes, and times like sleeping when I asked you to is one of those times." Tenzin approached his oldest daughter and placed his hands on her shoulders.

Jinora sighed. "Please? I'll keep quiet and won't say anything unless spoken to!"

Tenzin guessed, "You're not gonna let this go all night, huh?" She shook her head. "Of course," he muttered under his breath. Tenzin glanced over to Toph and noticed her contempt expression. "Fine," he conceded, "but only if you keep to your promise and won't distract Toph." Jinora nodded obediently and used her fingers to gesture her mouth being zipped shut. Tenzin smiled and said, "Good, now wait here." He gestured to the seat where Pema had previously sat. "I'll be back," he said as he walked over to Toph.

She was still stood off by herself, basking in silence and loneliness. Or perhaps it was just deep thought. No one aside from Suyin and Lin could tell how she was feeling. It was possible she regretted ever telling them, or maybe she was glad she did. The relief of such a burden must have felt great for her. Either way, Tenzin noticed she was slightly more elated than usual. Well, usual meaning in these times. Ever since Katara's death, she hadn't smiled. But something about this evening made Toph happier. Tenzin could only hope that he was not about to crush her spirits.

"Toph," he called out as he approached her.

"I can feel you coming Tenzin," she stated with a smirk. She had turned around and added, "Don't think anyone aside from your father managed to catch me off guard." Her tone was somewhat motherly. Tenzin remained silent as he stood alongside Toph. "Oh," she frowned as took in his silence. "So we're not at… that stage."

"It's been over an hour," Tenzin reminded her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be—"

"No, no, no!" Toph interrupted hastily. "You don't need to apologize! I'm sorry for trying so soon. I'm just glad… you're talking to me."

Tenzin rose a brow at her. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Toph sighed. "Rage is a powerful emotion Tenzin. It can be derived from betrayal, guilt, grief, nearly any emotion. Your, um…" She rolled her tongue around in her mouth and thought more about her next choice of words. "Lin and Suyin," she finally said. Sisters had lingered at the back of both their minds. "They're not too pleased." Toph jerked her thumb back over her shoulder, where in the distance stood Lin and Suyin. The two were making strange hand gestures as they argued with one another. Toph could feel their distress.

Tenzin nodded, "Right." He cleared his throat and added, "Well I'm not entirely mad. I'm slightly furious but… I am willing to hear more."

"Why is that?" Toph curiously asked.

"Pardon?"

"How could you be so willing to hear what could possibly be lies, after being told a truthful story for over fifty years?" Her tone was so hopeless. She sounded frail, tired. "Why are you willing to hear me out?"

Tenzin chuckled to himself as he looked over the vast sea before the island. Off into the distance, stood Aang Memorial Statue, high and proud. The symbol of peace among those of Republic City. "My father and I were… dearly close. When the time of his passing came, Katara and I grew closer as well. But of course, Kya and Bumi were held closer in her heart. It wasn't a major difference. I just noticed there was a slight favouritism but I think it's completely justified. I had Aang, they had Katara. We grew up separately and now… it was strange to be close after so long.

"I guess, I fully understand why she wasn't as close as I anticipated. It wasn't just because of the favouritism, but because I was your son," he concluded in a soft tone.

Toph's eyes widened as her brows rose. She had no expected him to ever say the words, not soon at least. Though it was not exactly as she imagined nor close to what she wanted to hear, it was still enough to make her smile. "Tenzin, I—"

"Toph," he interjected. "I am upset. However, not just at you. I'm upset at everyone. But with everything we've been through, I still miss my father so much." Tenzin placed his hand on Toph's shoulder. "I'd hate to even consider the idea that someone else so close to him suffered worse on their own. Right now, everything is slowly piecing together for me, and I want to get a grasp on the truth. I wish to know more… because I want to." He smiled at Toph. "I want to know the truth."

Toph sighed out of content as she nodded. "I know it may be too soon to say it, or completely awkward for you but," she chuckled. "I loved raising you every chance I got. And… I hope you listening would ease your mind about us. Our story is more complicated than you could assume. We loved you," Toph stated proudly. She whipped around and looked at Lin and Suyin, who were suddenly behind her. "All of you."

Suyin smiled at her mother's words while Lin chose to roll her eyes. "Ugh, fine," Lin grumbled. "I'll yell at you later, but don't expect me to be so compliant for this!" she shouted.

"You're still listening aren't you?" Kya mused from her seat.

"Quiet!" Lin grumbled as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"What's all the hoopla about?" Bumi shouted as he returned, Mako and Bolin were tracing behind him with a tray of tea for all. This time, they had been smart enough to bring the pot with them.

"Hey where did the rest of the family go?" Bolin asked Tenzin.

As everyone returned to the campfire, Tenzin answered, "I sent them off to bed, with the exception of Jinora." He sat down at his original spot.

"Ah? The lucky one, eh?" Bolin joked as he sat down beside Jinora, choosing to accompany the young Master Airbender. He handed her tea to her whilst Mako sat beside him. Everyone else had returned to their regular spots. Few took some sips of their beverages, others chose to wait for it to cool. Once everyone was settled, Toph lowered her tea down to her lap.

"Alright, now, after that whole meeting, Aang told me he contemplated dropping in at the station or at my place—"

"You know, we've never actually been to your place Toph," Kya suddenly realized.

"Whelp you're not going to be," Toph shrugged. "I moved outta there after Aang's death…" She cleared her throat and sipped her tea. That had suddenly gone dark. "Now being the annoying airbender he was, Aang chose to drop by my place. And since he found the house for me when I moved here, he decided to get himself a spare key. When I came home he was already waiting for me… eager as ever…"

 _::::_

The door flung open and Toph had stormed in, shouting, "What are you doing here Twinkletoes?" She had sensed his feet upon her arrival. She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her brows. She impatiently tapped her foot as she waited for him to come over to the entrance.

Aang chuckled as he rose from the couch and rushed away from the living room. He immediately lost interest in the newspaper he was reading and ran over to Toph. "Waiting for you dear!" he answered as he hugged the blind bender.

"Twinkles wait—"

He cut off Toph as he embraced her in his arms. Aang pecked her on the cheek as he hugged her tightly. "Sorry Toph, but I missed you." A sigh of content followed suit and a happy grin.

"No I—"

"Oh… my… Spirits…" a voice rung out from the entrance.

Aang's eyes widened as he backed away from Toph. His mouth hung open and shock was ridden all over his face. "Oh… Hisho…" Aang muttered. "You're here!"

"Yeah!" Toph exclaimed. "Like he usually is when he drops me off!" she shouted through her gritted teeth. The Avatar flinched at the angry Earthbender before him, and continued to do so when he saw Toph storm off toward Hisho. "Hisho, please, please, please, let me explain!"

Hisho laughed as he pointed back and forth between Aang and Toph. "No, no, I think I've got a good grasp of the situation."

"It's not an affair!" Aang shouted. "Katara and I broke up weeks ago!" Toph face palmed as she listened to the Airbender's ramblings. "So yeah… it's not like _that_ or anything. I mean, it may still look bad, but it's not!"

"Twinkles, can it," Toph barked.

"Yes ma'am," Aang saluted as he backed away, deciding to retreat to the living room once again.

"Hisho," Toph started, "I would _really_ appreciate it if you wouldn't—"

"Tell anyone?" he guessed. "Of course Chief, my lips are sealed." He saluted her. "I would never betray my loyalty to you or the Avatar."

Toph sighed out of relief and smiled. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Of course," he bowed. Once he began to back away Toph grabbed the door and started to shut it slowly. "But!" Hisho had suddenly spoken up. His finger raised pointedly as a smug grin appeared. He looked at Toph and added, "I want details."

The blind bender groaned. "Ugh, this is why I don't share with you."

"Details!" he shouted.

Toph began closing the door. "I'm ignoring you!" Once she shut the door she walked away.

" _Details!"_ Hisho shouted faintly.

"I'll pound you!" Toph shouted back. She laughed to herself and sighed. Her assistant truly was something else. He was a great friend that Aang had found for her. That clueless airhead was always helping her whenever he could. Which also reminded Toph of the current airhead in her living room. "Twinkletoes!" She walked over to the living room to find the Airbender smugly smiling at her.

"Okay, before you get mad, I want to say first of all, I was right about your awesome assistant!" he stated proudly. "And secondly, I just really wanted to see you." Aang's sweet smile formed.

Toph could not see it, but she sure did feel it. She always could tell when he was smiling. "Twinkles, whenever you decide to be bold and charming like that, don't do it." Toph laughed as she walked over to Aang.

"You liked it," he accused.

Toph chose not to answer as she hugged Aang. She embraced his warmth and he did the same for her. She sighed contently as she embedded her face into his shoulder. "I did miss you," she mumbled ever so quietly.

Aang's brows rose. "What's this? A feeling?" he joked. "That's not Toph!"

Toph pushed him away and crossed her arms across her chest. "And _that's_ why I don't say things like that!" she grumbled.

Aang laughed as he held his arms up. "Aww, Toph come on," he pleaded. He wrapped his arms around her while her's remained crossed. Once he pecked her cheek he could see her face slightly flush at the action. "I knew you liked it!" She finally gave in and hugged Aang back, smiling into his chest. After a few seconds, they pulled away from each other. Aang smiled as he asked, "So how was your day?" He took her hand and led her to the couch.

Once they sat down—comfortably close to one another—Toph responded, "Not bad. Nothing much happened. I was stuck at the station reviewing reports and all that nonsense. Town has been quiet since we put the Badger Bandits behind bars." She smiled as she adjusted her grip on Aang's hand. She liked holding it. "How about you? I caught word of another City Hall Council Meeting. Anything I need to know about?"

Aang shook his head. "More politics about the Water Tribes. Zuko had pulled Sokka and I aside for a more private meeting to discuss the issue further. We went back and forth, as usual. We went over pros, cons, all of that." He sighed as he recalled the meeting. He never thought a memory could be so boring until now. "As of now, we're leaving the Water Tribes out of the United Forces. Best not to push for so much at once."

Toph faked a snore. "You asked!" Aang whined.

Toph laughed as she caressed Aang's knuckles. "I know, I know, I'm kidding." She chuckled. "I think I could have gotten away with a joke like that when I was younger. But now all this politics talk involves me too."

"That's what happens when you want to be near your true love," Aang teased as he leaned back against the couch. One gut punch later Aang was hunched over holding his stomach while Toph kept her arms crossed once more. "Argh, I was kidding," Aang mumbled.

"You know, you make it hard for me to enjoy this when you joke like that," Toph muttered quietly. Had Aang groan and wince any louder, he would not have heard her. He was silently happy to hear that Toph was enjoying their time together.

"Toph, I'm sorry," Aang sincerely admitted as he scooted closer to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She left her arms crossed, but allowed Aang to rest her head on his chest. "I only joke 'cause I love what we have going on. This… it's nice, right?"

Toph held back on her answer because her immediate response would have been to kiss Aang senseless and agree. It pained her to keep her emotions still bottled up, but she was afraid of going too far. She wanted to shout how this was just like how she imagined when she was twelve. How his touch, his lips, his warmth was a new home to her. She wanted to bathe in his embrace, to soak up all of his love. But she was afraid to speak, afraid to confide, and afraid to say the words. She loved him so much, yet it could only be tested so far. Toph was not ready to risk it all. She wasn't even sure if it was a risk or not; love was still new to the blind bender.

"It is nice," she agreed. "This, feels right." Toph nodded.

Aang smirked at her answer and kissed the top of her hair. Toph found the gesture weird, since it was just her bun, but didn't question it. He was amazed at her beauty. The very fact that she wasn't aware of it and hated to be reminded of it only saddened the Avatar. He wanted to tell her constantly, about her beauty. But e knew he would only anger her. It enraged Toph whenever features like beauty and looks were ever mentioned. Though she would never complain about it, Aang knew. He knew her well.

After a few seconds of warmth and silence, Aang smiled at the thought that they could have been doing this all the time. Lounging around in watch others arms. Aang had been dying to ask Toph an important question. But he decided to casually get to the pace of conversation. "So, not to ruin this nice moment, but—"

"Now what!" Toph complained as she sunk further back into Aang's chest. As her comfort grew, so did Aang's. However, the sudden wail had surprised him.

"I just wanted to point out," Aang continued cautiously, "when I arrived, there was nobody home."

Toph rose a brow and nodded. "Huh-uh, yeah, so?"

"Toph, where's the staff?"

The Chief of Police groaned irritably as she saw where the conversation was headed. "Aang…"

"Toph," he interjected. "I keep trying to make these adjustments for you. I even told the staff to show up when you wake up in the morning, leave when you leave, and return before you come home!"

Toph smiled, "Really? I thought they just suddenly picked up on my schedule."

Aang scoffed as he backed away from Toph. He grabbed her gently and slowly turned her to face him. He grabbed both her hands and rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles. He lifted her left hand and kissed it gently. "Toph, why do you keep firing the staff?" he asks softly.

"Twinkles, my place is fine!"

"I'm assuming you let them clean everything before you fired them?"

"Maybe…"

"Toph!"

"What!" she replied, "I don't like having so many people around. It's so… strange. I don't like having so much help. The things Hisho does is already enough, I don't need anymore than a friendly assistant—which, I am willing to say that I am glad you found him for me." Her smile was not compliant enough to satisfy Aang. Though he wanted to brag about how he was right about Hisho, it was not the time.

"Toph, they're only here to help you do better. They clean your place so you don't live in a mess, they cook for you so you don't set your house on fire, and do errands for you so you don't have to!"

"I don't like being treated like a charity case Aang," Toph softly said, "You know that."

Aang nodded eagerly. "Of course I do." He kissed her hand again, this time her right hand. "I know that better than anyone Toph. I get that you hate when you're recognized for your… blindness, but I just—" Aang stopped himself as he attempted to find the proper words. "I care for you so much."

"Then why can't you stop?" Toph retorted. "Why can't you let this go? I asked Zuko not to do anything, and he didn't. When Sokka suggested help, I said no and he accepted my answer. You didn't ask me, you sent me servants and _then_ told me about them. Then, after each time I kick them out you keep sending me servants when I say I don't want any!" She pulled her hands back from Aang and curled them into fists. "Quite frankly, I don't mind living by myself! I know it's not comfortable for me and for someone like me it's not exactly healthy, but that's what _I_ choose." She prodded her right index finger against Aang as she said, "I. Don't. Want. Servants." Once she retracted her hand she said, "Did I get it through that thick head of yours yet?"

Aang let out a deep breath as he kept his head lowered. He rose it and looked Toph in her light, emerald eyes. "I do it because I want to treat you like a queen," Aang said smugly.

Toph laughed at Aang's words. Soon enough, the Avatar joined after her. "Are you serious Twinkles!"

"No, no, of course not," Aang chuckled. "Well, as of of recent, sure." Toph's heart nearly melted when he said that, she chose to continue laughing. Of course he had a smooth, sweet line. "But before… I just wanted you to feel comfortable. Like a true Bei Fong."

Toph's laughter died down. "Aang, all of this," she gestured around her, "reminds me of my parents. It… it still annoys me time to time."

Aang nodded. "I know. If it really bugs you Toph, I'll stop it."

"Thank you," Toph smiled. She slowly leaned back into Aang's arms, once again resting on his chest. "Don't get me wrong—and definitely don't tell anyone else—I am grateful for the gesture. But I just, don't want _that_ type of help." Aang nodded as he wrapped his arms around Toph's stomach. "But I _did_ like having someone to boss around though."

Aang laughed. "Isn't that what you do to me?"

Toph laughed as well, "Well duh!" She sure loved bossing everyone around. Most would find it annoying, but her friends grew to like it. Of course it was still annoying, but increasingly less. Aang enjoyed her demands, sometimes he chose not to do them to spite Toph. He would always get a kick from her reaction. "Honestly, who needs servants when I have you!" she joked, once again causing herself to laugh.

Aang sighed, it was time he asked. "Toph, would you like to move to Air Temple Island with me?"

The laughter died, and a painful silence echoed throughout the Bei Fong residence.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry this took so long for me to get up. I was busy with my other fic. I realize I left this in the dark so I decided to update it. Hope ya'll enjoyed! Review please!**_

 _ **Until next time,**_

 _ **Bleh**_


	7. Rehashing What's not Said

**Rehashing What's not Said**

There are times when there is a proper moment to say something important. There are times when said thing is mentioned, the chances of taking it back or dropping the topic were slim, but still existent. Most people had the perfect opportunity presented in front of them to do such gestures. And even if the situation went awry, some would be able to weasel their way out of it. Aang, had neither the former nor the latter. With Toph being the Toph she was, her immediate reaction was to recoil from the Airbending airhead. Before he could say anything the blind bender was up and out of the couch within an instant, pacing around the room.

"Toph, hear me out—"

"What is the _one_ thing, the one thing I wanted!" she shouted.

Aang threw a confused a brow, and swallowed hard. There were a lot of things she wanted, a lot of guidelines. He was about to say himself as one of them, but he didn't want to get kicked out. "To keep this on the—"

"To keep this on the down low, Twinkletoes!" Toph interjected. She turned back at Aang, narrowing her brows as she clenched her fists. "That was my rule. Those were your terms. I agreed to this, but at the exclusion of publicity! I'm not some chick you can broadcast around the world!"

Aang made a disappointed face at Toph. "Toph, c'mon, you know that I wouldn't treat you like that." He stood up and walked over to her. She quickly responded with a little more distance, stumbling herself toward the sofa. "I would never want to make you uncomfortable. That's why I'd like it for you to move in with me. My acolytes can be there to make your living conditions comfortable, I can be around you more often, and there would be no need for you to do anything."

"It's too fast," Toph mumbled. "And… I…" She stopped herself and swallowed hard. She wanted to say, she felt like a replacement. She wanted to say, she felt used. It was so sudden. After talk about Katara, after a few stirs of Zuko and Sokka mentioning her, it seemed like it made sense. Those two were always watching Aang like a messenger Hawk. He might have had another relapse memory of _her_. Toph was always his escape, and as of recent, that might be what he needed. But she recently started to consider what they were becoming together.

Or rather, what she was becoming to him.

"What?" Aang asked. He knelt down in front of her and grabbed her hand. "What is it?"

"The water," she quickly answered. "I don't want to take a boat to the city _every_ _single_ time I need to leave the island." Toph pulled her hand from Aang's and crossed her arms across her chest. "Why would I subject myself to torture like that?"

"I can fly you on Appa every single day."

Toph sighed. "Twinkletoes…"

"I know, you hate doing anything where you can't see, but I have never let you down whenever I've flown you."

"And days where you can't go to work? Or you're not in the city? Who's gonna take me then?" Toph challenged.

Aang chuckled. "On the rare days I don't decide to leave the temple, I'll just leave Appa for you. He knows the route from the temple to station. He knows a lot of other routes as well." He reached for her hand and pulled it close to him. "And if I'm out of the city, then I'll arrange a personal boat for you and have Shin take you to the city whenever you wish." He beamed a smile at her blind eyes. "He's good. Just like Hisho, you can trust him."

Toph shook her head as her hands retracted slowly. Aang tried to hold on, but she was relentless in her pull. "Twinkletoes, I don't want to subject myself to such an annoying chore everyday. Even _if_ I was okay with the transportation, I don't want to deal with your Air Acolytes. I don't want them thinking we did have an affair. I don't want my reputation to be tainted like this."

Aang's smirk remained annoying as ever.. "You can trust my Acolytes with your life," he said quietly. "They are some of the most amazing people I've ever met. They're loyal and would listen in confidence to everything. I trust them around my home for a reason." Aang smiled proudly as he looked into Toph's eyes. "Toph, I'm asking this of you, because I want try the next step."

Toph scoffed. "More like a leap," she muttered. "We haven't taken the first step yet!"

Aang raised a brow. "Which is?" He was confused. Had they not been going on a dates and spending afternoons together? Whenever he had free time he made sure it was spent with her. What they had going on seemed very gradual, it seemed consistent. Aang didn't understand what more could come out of their first few weeks, which apparently didn't count as the first step.

Then suddenly, a thought sent a rush of blood to his face. "Wait," he said, suddenly mouth run dry, "you don't mean… _se_ —"

"Spirits, no!" Toph immediately exclaimed, brows narrowed. She facepalmed as she groaned. "Believe me Twinkletoes, the only chance you have _right now_ would be if I was drunk again."

Aang smirked as he let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, last I checked, _I_ wasn't the lightweight who initiated—" for a blind woman, she sure knew how to give a death glare. Aang closed his mouth into a thin line as he awkwardly stared Toph's death glare, which was accompanied by a modest blush? His smirk dared to grow a little at the thought. So she has thought about it.

"Twinkletoes, you know that isn't what I meant." He shrugged in response, expectantly waiting for more. Toph added, "I just think…" too many words hung out of her mouth, words she wasn't ready to throw out. She could sense, despite the smile she could hear in his words, how nervous he was. She couldn't tell if he wanted her to know how nervous he was as a scare tactic of clarity, since he wasn't attempting to calm himself at all. He seemed fine with letting his heart beat so rapidly. Toph wanted to talk about it, about everything.

But she knew him well. He would take things to heart, and was sensitive about feelings. He was such a baby about things like these. Toph was not entirely sure what the next step would be, but she knew she didn't want to move forward until she was certain. She wanted to be sure that her heart was on the line for a good reason.

"I think… maybe… we need to slow down," she said quietly.

Aang stared at her in silence. She could feel his gaze strike through her guilt of omission. He knew something was up, but she knew he wouldn't ask. "Okay…" he nodded. "I… okay. There's no convincing you, eh?" he asked lightheartedly. It was a poor attempt at lightening the mood but he was trying. She forced out a chuckle—which was included for both parties—and shook her head. "Alright," he said in a stern voice, "I'm sorry that I brought it up then." His voice was barely wavering, yet it was obviously clear he was a by hurt.

Despite the heroics of saving the entire world countless times and being considered the most powerful being in existence, he was still such a damn child.

Toph's mouth hung open as she tried to search for an apology or any words at all. She could only hang dry. Aang awkwardly cleared his throat as he took a few steps back. Toph realized he was making a move to leave once she sensed he was a distant from the couch. "I…" he spoke up, extremely hesitantly—disappointment and shame were severely evident in his voice. "I think I'll just—"

"Wait!" Toph nearly shouted, extending her hand out to him. She immediately cursed herself for her spontaneous reaction and retracted her hand. Aang stopped in his tracks and looked at Toph in confusion. She paused for moment, sensing his look of hope and anguish. She let out an irritated sigh as she crossed her arms across her chest defiantly. "Please… don't tell me you're mad…" she whispered with the smallest of pouts.

Aang's brows rose in shock and Toph could feel the brief flutter of his heart. Again, she mentally chastised herself for being so impulsive. And she did so once more after realizing how annoyed she was at herself for upsetting Aang. It was ridiculous as to how much this upset her. She kept her gaze to the floor, avoiding Aang's possible look of judgement of her flushed expression. Only then did she realize how long they were stood there in silence. Toph was already embarrassing herself by even talking, but of course the Airhead had to "ogle" her.

"It's not that…" Aang finally said. "I… I dunno, I guess I'm confused?"

Toph groaned. "Why? You asked me if I wanted to move in with you and I said no, because it's so sudden!" she exasperatedly threw her arms in the air as she explained, "I _just_ said I think we should take it slow. I didn't say get out of my face!"

Aang sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "I know… I'm sorry, I just, I didn't know if you were okay with me being here after… that."

Toph rolled her eyes as she shifted her weight to the right side of her hip. "That" was implying they had an argument. And Toph still being the Toph she was, had no idea what to call it. She was still mad at him for everything he wasn't telling her. She was mad at him for not being clear with her. She was mad that she was being so insecure. "Twinkles, I… can we please just forget this happened and go back to…" she trailed off as she realized what they were doing, was cuddling in each other's presence. Never, had Toph imagined herself longing for something like that—she still attempted to convince herself otherwise.

Aang awkwardly chuckled as he walked over to Toph. "Okay, okay," he replied. "I'm sorry." His words were truthful, and Toph found comfort in that. But she found more comfort in his arms, as he wrapped them around her. "I know I'm an idiot. I'm sorry you have to deal with that."

Toph snorted as she returned the hug slowly. "One of us has to be the smart one here." She knows now, that her word choice could have implied labels, but she was too distracted to notice at the time. This time, she managed to fight off the blush.

"I'm fine with it being you," he quipped. He pulled away and led her over to the couch, where he sat against the armrest and she laid against his chest. He knew not to comment on it, as the moment would have been ripped away. "You know though, speaking of smart," Aang spoke eagerly.

Toph mentally groaned. What more could he have to say to ruin things?

"After Sokka and I picked up Suki, I suggested we all have an outing together!" his voice was so cheerful. "Perhaps next weekend? Sokka wants to make plans."

Toph verbally groaned this time. "Ughh, I'm gonna have to socialize?"

"Aww, come on, we can take everyone to Kwong's Cuisine!"

"I'm gonna have to wear a dress _and_ we're taking our friends to where we had…" Toph once again trailed off at the label selection of wording.

Aang rolled his eyes. "Our first date," he finished patiently. Toph made an intelligible noise as she crossed her arms. She was now facing away from Aang but still leaned up against his chest, with her legs laid out on the couch. "C'mon Toph, it's been awhile since you've seen Sokka and Zuko, and I'm willing to bet Suki misses you."

She immediately snorted. "Keep talking Twinkletoes, all I'm hearing are more and more reasons as to why I shouldn't go!" Though it was meant to be an insult/joke, Aang still liked the look of a smile on Toph and some happiness in her voice. "Besides, I went to the gala! They were there."

"I mean have an actual conversation with them," Aang argued. "Sokka told me about how after you said only hello to them, you went straight to the buffet." She effortlessly shrugged. "And I know Suki's got some more stories about the Earth Kingdom and most especially, Iroh!" His tone was childish and patronizing, as if he was coaxing a kid into going outside. Which he technically was, but he wouldn't voice it out now—not in her immediate vicinity.

"There you go again," Toph muttered. "Using cheap tactics to convince me to do what you want." She threw her arms up into the air and let out another groan. "Fine, fine I'll go. But we're not going to Kwong's Cuisine!" she shouted.

Aang nodded as he brought his hand over her hair, playfully thumbing her bun. "Of course, of course, that was a joke."

"And it better be somewhere fun!"

"Of course Toph," Aang smiled, "whatever you want." His other hand found it's way over to Toph's hand, carefully caressing it. Once again, she was hoping that her position would hide the blush on her face from Aang. She scolded herself for how she accepted his hand and held it comfortably. She also hated that she could tell he was smiling. Spirits, he was the only one that could do this to her.

And perhaps, _sometimes_ , she was willing to admit that… mentally, of course.

 _::::_

"So yeah, I shut the little Airhead down and we moved on from that. Just put it behind us," Toph stated nonchalantly, gaze kept to the ground as usual. Everyone threw a skeptical brow at her, to which she chuckled. "I'm kidding! Of course I'm kidding, this is Aang we're talking about here. He was thinking about it all day. Probably kept him up at night too. Once he gets something stuck in his head, it won't leave till he talks about it." She sighed. "But, him being him, and me being me, we didn't talk about it right away."

"Lemme guess," Asami spoke up, wearing a smug smile. "It was one awkward hang out, huh?"

Toph scoffed. "We weren't really good at hiding our emotions. And by 'we', I mean him." She crossed her arms. "When we were at Suki's, hanging out, Zuko obviously noticed something was wrong with him." She smirked as a thought suddenly occurred. "To be honest, I often wondered if he acted like that on purpose just to get everyone's attention."

"Didn't you do the same?" Korea mused.

Toph frowned. "Fine, but I at least did it better than he did. And I could hide my emotions better than he could. I wasn't like a sissy like he was. So yeah, I did a lot of things better than him!" she added defensively.

"We know, we know," Lin groaned. "World's greatest Earthbender!" she said with a monotonous excitement. Everyone chuckled at the proclamation. Toph always made sure remind everyone she could. It was unclear to nearly everyone if Lin shaking her head and rolling her eyes was in poor taste or just out of feigned annoyance.

Her mother sighed at the statement. "Yeah…" she said softly. A frown soon returned, heavier than before. It rivalled the one she had when she first spoke about her and Aang. Finally, she raised her head. Despite the blindness of her eyes, it was clear as day they were full of sadness. "I may have been better than him at a lot of things… but he was still the best on knowing when to talk. He knew how to talk—majority of the time—and he knew how to say sorry. He knew… what it meant to… love." She released another heavy sigh. "Spirits… I made his life a nightmare sometimes." Toph's gaze fell down once again. "But, he just didn't care. I've been with him long enough, friendship and more, to know what his nightmares were like. But, despite the amount of hell I gave him, I felt like I was the one nightmare he could sleep with."

"Aww," Bolin cooed with his hands cupped together. Asami, Korra, and Mako held their sweet smiles and looks of awe. The current Team Avatar along with Jinora and Suyin, found the statement to be endearing. It was obviously poetic, and of course, made Toph faintly blush.

The rest, smiled, but held back any other question or reaction due to Toph's expression. Even after this long hour, seeing her so heartbroken over _love_ , was something else entirely. Suyin seemed more open to such an idea, but Tenzin wagered it was the romance of her mother's story that swayed her. He didn't need sensitive feet to tell Lin was purely angry with the current situation, but he noticed she was slightly settling with the idea. His… "half" siblings, seemed genuinely interested with the story. Bumi and Kya were obviously still skeptical of the whole idea, but were also intrigued at this new side of Toph. Everyone was intrigued with Toph. This was a whole new emotion from everything they experienced, it was out of a feeling they never saw from Toph. No one thought she was capable of love, aside from her daughters. But even then, their sides of the whole story were described as distant and irritating.

At the end of the day, this was still new. This was something that was still hard to swallow, regardless of the taste of the sweet Earl Grey tea. There was still much to process, and worse of all, the night was very much late. Toph was growing tired of this whole story telling situation, and she really needed time to rest. It was a good distraction, from losing Katara. But she still felt bad looking back on the times of her ex-husband and herself, all the while when she should be mourning. Toph knows that Katara wouldn't mind. Katara told her to tell them anyways, so this was obviously expected. But even then, she just wanted a little more space. Just to settle her own mind first.

"I…" Toph spoke up. "I think it's best if we call a night, for now." Everyone looked at her in shock. She immediately sensed it. "I just… it's probably best if you all get some rest."

"Are you serious?" Lin questioned. "You expect us to sleep on _this_?"

Toph sighed as she rose her head once again. She wore a tired looked on her face, this time her frown faded as a blank expression took place. "I expect you all to let this sink in. In whichever way you can…" she muttered. "Please, just… get some rest, you all need it." Toph rose up from her stump and stretched for a moment. "We'll pick this up in the morning." She then wandered off further into the courtyard, over toward a nearby fountain.

"That'll be an interesting breakfast," Bolin joked, "an important meal with an important message," he whispered to his brother. Mako lightly elbowed his brother. "Ow, what?"

"C'mon," he replied. "Let's hit the hay." The two brothers rose up and began to leave, only shortly after gathering everyone's empty tea cups. Asami made a move to leave but stopped as she noticed Korra's hesitation, drifting off toward Tenzin. Bumi and Kya stood up but walked right toward Tenzin, who was talking to Jinora. Suyin and Lin remained seated for a moment as they talked. Asami walked over to Korra and tapped her on her shoulder.

"Just talk to him," she told her. "I'll see you in bed," Asami smiled.

Korra smiled and nodded back. "I'll be quick," she promised as she backed away. She approached the adults of the group, but stopped as she noticed Jinora walked off. "Hey," she acknowledged. "You're probably losing your mind too, huh?"

Jinora chuckled. "It's crazy. Like, up is down and down is up," she nonchalantly shrugged, causing Korra to laugh. "My dad told me to get some sleep right away. _But_ , I'd rather just stay up all night trying to piece this together with the stories I was told."

Korra nodded with a small smirk. "Glad someone'll be looking out for history."

Jinora shrugged. "I want to make sure the facts lineup."

"We're looking at a whole new story Jinora," Korra suggested. "Not everything will lineup."

"I know," she replied, backing away, "but it'll still keep me occupied!"

"Try not to stay up too much!" Korra shouted at the young Airbending Master. She looked back at the remainder of the group and sighed. This was going to be a stressful night. "Tenzin?" she called out.

Bumi and Kya stepped aside to allow Korra's presence. Tenzin looked at her and slightly smiled. "Yes?"

"Just wanted to check on you," Korra replied. She glanced around them, then added, "Well, all of you, really." Bumi and Kya threw her a small smile. "I can't imagine what this is like for you guys."

"A lie," Bumi scoffed, "everything we practically knew, was a lie."

Kya sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "We don't know that. We just… don't know anything apparently."

Bumi shook his head. "How does this make sense?" he asked. "Why… why does it feel like it could?"

Korra rose a brow. "So you _do_ believe her?" She was wondering throughout the entire time if everyone was fully invested as she thought they were.

"You'll have to," Suyin chimed in, approaching the four. Lin followed up behind her upsettingly. "I can sense it, Korra," she explained, "and even aside from that, our mother, she's neverspoken to us like that before." Suyin frowned. "Only once, actually… it was when she was apologizing for being a bad mom." Everyone aside from Lin expectantly stared at her in silence. "She means it."

Lin scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Like I've told you, just because it feels like she's telling the truth, doesn't mean she is!" Everyone threw a confused brow over to Lin, all while Suyin irritably sighed at her sister's retort. "Look, it could very well be that she's just…" Lin looked back at her mother, the distance between them and her was definitely out of an earshot. "She may just be old," she whispered.

"Uhh, yeah?" Bumi replied, flicking his wrist and extending his hand outward toward Toph's general direction. "She's in her eighties."

Korra shook her head and sighed. "No Bumi, she means like, she's _really_ old," she repeated more emphatically.

The ex-commander raised a brow as he opened his mouth to question her. But his words soon stopped at his throat as he processed the meaning behind what they were saying. "Oh…" he uttered out softly. A sullen mood suddenly dwelled upon them.

"What does that have to do with anything, Lin?" Tenzin questioned, it wasn't defensive, it was out of curiosity.

"There's been some recent discoveries about a certain illness," she answered. "Something to do with memory problems."

" _Dementia_ ," Kya filled in, eyes wide as saucers. It was as if the realization had set in for her. "Dementia…" she uttered again, more so to herself.

Korra furrowed a brow and inquired, "And that is?"

"A disease doctors have been looking into recently, it usually develops in old age," Kya softly explained, "it's only rumours and small facts as of now, but everyone in the medical field is starting to see this as a new discovery and the real deal. The main symptom of dementia, is well, memory loss. People in old age have some sort cognitive function problem and they just… have a harder time remembering their past. It apparently starts out slow, but they usually have a hard time remembering names as well."

"So you think she could be making up this story?" Suyin asked, her tone was was slightly defensive.

"Yes, it might be a possibility," Kya answered carefully. "I'm not sure yet, I'm not well educated in this field and I don't have all that facts. But, anxiety and stress are some of the side effects toward this, losing Katara might've just sent her to her limit." She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "She might even be interpreting stories of Kanto and your father with some of her own made up stories," she said to Suyin and Lin. "It's just… it makes sense. Her story might add up just because it's mixed with _actual_ events, or she might just tell a convincing tale. This is still Toph we're talking about. She's never had a problem convincing everyone. She really might just believe she's telling the truth." Kya sighed as frown fell onto her. "It's a possibility…"

"I'm not ready for another one to go…" Bumi whispered hoarsely. A sad silence crowded among the six. It was a new depressing weight they felt on their shoulders. Here they were, still mourning over Katara. The possibility of another leaving—it wasn't a thought they wanted to entertain.

Korra looked over to Tenzin, who seemed to be in deep thought. "Tenzin," she acknowledged. "What's your take on this?"

He glanced around and sighed. "I… have no idea. It may very well be just that," he suggested to Kya. "We, should consider this. But for now," Tenzin mustered up a small smile, "we need some rest. Whatever this story was, or whatever it may lead to, it's still very jarring and we deserve some rest." He stepped forward and placed a hand on Kya's shoulder. "First thing in the morning, try reaching out to any doctors or healers you know in this field, we'll need an expert on this."

Kya nodded. "I will, don't worry."

He looked over to Suyin and Lin. "For now, try to level with her. Stay on her good graces and entertain her. We don't know if she'll be stable." He looked over to Bumi and Korra. "If she does have this… dementia, we need to play it close to the chest." Everyone nodded. "Alright, I'll see you all in the morning."

They all bid their farewells and departed from the courtyard. Suyin offered the idea of talking to their mother to Lin, but Lin took a glance at Toph—who was still sat at the fountain's bench—and shook her head. They left afterward as well, following after Tenzin's siblings. Korra knew it was still a lot to process for the Beifongs, whichever version of "it" they were going to listen to. She looked over to Tenzin, who still lingered and was looking as if he was going to make a move toward Toph.

Korra stepped forward and said, "You can still talk to her."

He looked back at her and offered a half smile. "I know."

They stared at each other for a moment. Korra looked upon her Airbending teacher with a proud and earnest smile. It was then she concluded, "You believe her… don't you?"

Tenzin's smile shrunk a bit, as he took a quick glance back at Toph. "I don't know why… there's just something about this…"

"It's times like these where I wished I still had my connection with my past lives," Korra stated, a small frown appearing. "Just a moment, to learn from Aang if what I was doing was right, or if there was any truth to anything. Because from what I learned, he was very wise."

"He was indeed," Tenzin genuinely smiled.

Korra smirked back. "Tenzin, I know I lost the connection, but there's just something…" She shrugged. "Maybe it's because of Rava, or maybe it might possibly still be there but…" Korra's smile grew a tenfold. "There was something about the way Toph said 'Twinkletoes,' that just made my heart feel warm."

Tenzin cocked his head to the right, raising a brow at the current Avatar. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, like, her words struck some sort of cord in my heart." Korra's smile was burning wide and bright, it was genuine. "It wasn't just the nickname… but hearing her reconcile and tell this story… it made me smile, it made me hurt, and made me feel comforted. Almost as if I was attached to this story." The immediate conclusion ran right through Tenzin's mind. He furrowed his brows as it dawned on him. Was it possible? "Tenzin," Korra said again, "That feeling? It was… the same feeling I get when I'm with Asami."

Tenzin's eyes grew wide open as it set in. He—once again—looked back at Toph, staring at her in shock, then turned back to Korra. "So… it's—"

Korra smiled as she shrugged. "I'm not sure," she admitted, "you're Mister Spiritual, I thought you'd know." Tenzin smiled, letting out a chuckle. "I guess I'll meditate on this then, find out for sure?" she suggested, backing away. "Goodnight, Tenzin."

He nodded back and smiled. "Goodnight, Korra."

He turned back and sighed as he looked at Toph. He was smiling, for some reason. He supposed there was something about this story, this absurd and crazy tale, that was worth hearing. He took a step forward, then hesitated, retracting back and frowning. Whatever the outcome, whatever the possibility was, he wasn't sure if it was his place. He observed Toph's posture, it looked as if she was sleeping. She was sat still and straight, hands folded onto her lap, eyes closed too. She might have actually dozed off. Tenzin pondered, thinking it'd be best to wake her so she didn't fall asleep in the middle of the courtyard. But, there was something about her peaceful state. Toph hadn't looked like that in a long time, and Tenzin didn't dare to take that away from her.

He smirked, finding relief she was able to get some rest. Tenzin looked back upon the campfire they all had say at and sighed. It really was an exhaustive night. Rest was well deserved for everyone, especially for Tenzin.

"Goodnight Tenzin," echoed a soft, frail voice from behind.

He quickly turned around and raised a brow. Toph's posture was still the same, but he still smiled. "Goodnight… Toph," he replied, fading back into the building.

There she was, all by herself. Toph sighed as she opened her eyes, scanning the empty courtyard, feeling for anything—anyone. She tried, but it didn't work. She took deep breaths and relaxed her body. She swore almost had it in her hands, but she just lost it all. It was all so painful, so heart-wrenching, to feel such a backlash. They hated her, they didn't believe her, they didn't trust her. And honestly, Toph couldn't blame them. If she was in their shoes, she would also see it as insane. She basically told them everything they once knew was a lie. Their once simple perception was now changed. She was ruining the beautiful image they had conjured up of her and the original Team Avatar. She was destroying their bond.

There they were again, those darn tears. It hurt so much to feel just a single drop stream down her face. Toph hated weakness. She hated being vulnerable, and being guilty. Suddenly the weight of everything—guilt, sadness, pain—fell on her again. She lowered her head as she let the tears fall. It all came back to now, when everything mattered most. A time when everyone started to realize that they won't all be around forever. And yet, the moment to mourn was ripped out of their grasp. _She_ started it all. _She_ was reckless. It was all _her_ fault.

Toph brought her hands up to wipe her tears off her cheeks, mentally cursing herself for being so frail and weak. Her hands started to shake as she lowered them from her face. She knew what was happening. She's had meltdowns before. Regardless of the quantity, she almost always had something to keep her grounded. But she just couldn't latch onto anything. She wanted _him_. She _needed_ him.

Suddenly, a warmful touch found itself in Toph's hands, caressing both gently. She looked up right away, but felt nothing, no one was there. The touch soon tightened and Toph smiled. She was not letting go. She choked on her tears as she firmly held on. "Aang…" she whispered ever so softly.

Soon enough, the atmosphere around her felt warmer and she was engulfed in familiar feeling. Toph felt safe, at peace, comforted; she felt at home. "Took you long enough… Twinkletoes."

" _I told you… release your thoughts…"_

She laughed, shaking her head. "I told you… I still have trouble doing this outside the swamp." Toph raised her head. Spirits, she knew he wasn't really there, and nor was she—but the feeling of reality was on a thread at this point. She'd been here before and she always felt more vulnerable. Aang had warned her she would not be able to bend, to see. She was just a blind woman, sitting in a place far beyond comprehension. Yet that would never stop her, because he was here.

" _The swamp may be powerful… but you are as well…"_

Toph sighed as she tightened her grip once again. She didn't care for his spiritual mumbo jumbo right now. She sniffled (she wasn't even embarrassed) and said, "I love you."

She could feel him smile back. Her heart broke at the thought of her never being able to "see" it again. He knelt down before her and brought her right hand to his lips. It wasn't enough, but the gesture in itself made her smile.

" _You tell me that, everytime my dear."_

She chuckled, shaking her head as she said, "I have to," Toph sighed. "I feel like I didn't say it enough when I had the chance."

He laughed, her heart melted at the sweet noise.

" _My Blind Bender… you never had to."_

The tears returned as she let his words sink in. Every single time, he always managed to do this. She really hated what this Airhead could do to her. She released his hands and grabbed his chest, bundling up the cloth he wore as she pulled him close. "I–I made a mess of everything," she cried, "I… I ruined it all… I told them… I told…" His arms wrapped around her, embracing her as she wept.

" _I know it, I felt it."_

"W–What?"

" _Korra might have lost the connection… but it doesn't mean she can't find it."_

"So you heard me ruin everything?" Toph muttered.

" _Nothing broken can't be fixed. It won't be the same…"_

Toph shook her head. "But it can heal, I know," she whispered softly. "Aang, I… I can't do this…" she whimpered. "It's too much… I—" she swallowed hard and shook her head again, letting more tears fall. "I just want you back."

He smirked.

" _What did I tell you?"_

Toph repeatedly shook her head, choking up on her tears. The words struggled to leave her mouth, "You're… you…"

" _I'm always with you, always."_

The tears stopped flowing as she felt his hands brush up against her face. He caressed each cheek carefully, wiping away the tears with his gentle thumb. This was all she needed, for this to be more. "Can't this just be real?" she said hoarsely.

" _My love, you know how much I want it to be…"_

She nodded. She didn't need to cry, she couldn't cry, he was holding her.

" _But_ they _need you, now. In the present, in reality."_

She had no words, deciding it would be best for him to continue, just to hear his voice again.

" _Toph, this is our chance, your chance, to reignite the flame we almost sparked. You can show them the truth, you have to. They've been blind for far too long, but you can enlighten them. You can make them see. You know they deserve it."_

"Everything was fine before she died. I could have happily stayed away," Toph mumbled. "I'd rather suffer alone in a swamp than watch them— _feel_ them all hurt." Another sigh was released as she felt him squeeze her face slightly. "I know what you want me to do, I know what they will expect from me. I just… I don't think I can give them all the answers they want. I can tell the story, but how can I make them feel it? How can I make them understand us?"

" _Our love is something that can't be compared. You know telling them isn't enough. Telling them, making them believe all relies on how you show them. You know it's possible. I know they believe you, they just don't want to. I told you, I felt it. But, my love, you have to make them believe."_

Toph sighed as she brought her hands up to Aang's, holding them up against her cheek. "I just… I don't want to lose them, to lose _him_." She smiled and softly spoke, "He's so much like you."

Another laugh.

" _As true as that may be… he got his stubbornness from you."_

His hands faded away and Toph's eyes widened in fear. She immediately held on, tightly holding onto them. "Kiss me," she ordered. She felt him stare at her for a moment. He sighed but conceded. They both knew what it felt like. They knew what it wasn't. Although he was just an entity and Toph may have been blind, she could still feel what _was_ real. But once his lips mets hers—the presence in itself was all she needed as reassurance. Just like that, she felt grounded once more. Her surroundings were familiar again, but in a more realistic sense.

" _I love you too…"_ she heard, echoing off into the wind.

Toph let out a deep breath, relief rushing all over her, flooding her body. There were no more tears tonight. She smiled into the wind—peace, was the first thing to enter. She knew it wasn't perfect, that none of anything that had happened was ideal. But she didn't care. She could survive to tell another tale.

She was stubborn after all.

 _::::_

"I don't understand why I let him talk me into this," Toph grumbled, crossing her arms like a child.

Hisho released a hearty laugh in response. He said in sing song, "I think I can think of a few reasons!"

Toph rolled her eyes. "Don't make me regret bringing you," she muttered out. Hisho's chuckled died down, as it did muffle his excitement. It was in vain however, she could still hear him. "Honestly, he makes my life a living nightmare."

"But you still agreed," Hisho chimed in.

"Hisho, I _will_ throw you off of this carriage!" Toph growled out.

He laughed. "Yes, but then you'd have to steer yourself all the way and you hate doing work!"

She scoffed. "Yeah, but it'd be worth it…" she mumbled once again.

"Honestly, Chief, I don't know why you're so overworked over this."

"It's… complicated," Toph replied, "He's being an Airhead."

Hisho chuckled. "According to your word of mouth, when is he not?"

Toph let out an annoyed groaned. "It's just, he can be so impulsive and stupid. He's so infuriating and irritable. I just want to pound his stupid smirk into the ground!"

Hisho raised a brow as he looked back at Toph. "You can tell when he smiles?"

"I have a knack for it," she gritted out, looking toward Hisho. "Like how I can tell you're grinning right now."

Hisho laughed. "Ahh, Chief, I feel like you just described yourself." He let out a content sigh. "Honestly, whatever you call _this_ , it make sense to me."

"Great, there's another one," she muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Are we there yet!" Toph loudly asked.

Hisho nodded as he brought the carriage to a halt. "We are!" he announced. He hopped off the carriage and made his way over to the carriage door, but found it immediately whip open right before his face.

Toph hopped out and onto the ground, letting out a bracing sigh. "Alright, let's get this over with." She pointed toward Hisho and frowned. "Now remember, your presence here is to do nothing unless I say so and speak when spoken to."

Hisho nodded. "And you still won't tell me why I'm being brought along?"

"Because I know you love hanging out Aang and Sokka," Toph answered with a shrug. She walked off toward the building before them.

Hisho followed after her along the stone pebbled path. "As true as that may be, I feel like there's more—"

"Hisho," Toph barked.

He stopped talking.

They arrived before the building and waited before the door. Toph hated neighbourhoods, the entire family setting annoyed her. Of course Snoozles would want to settle in a place like this. Toph scoffed, she could never imagine herself like this—ever. She rose her hand up and banged her fist against the door loudly.

"Uh, I'm sure they have a doorbell," Hisho advised.

Toph shrugged. "Too quiet."

" _It's open!"_ a muffled voice shouted from inside. Toph recognized the source and found the smallest of smiles on her face. Hisho reached for the doorknob and opened the door. The two quickly walked in. Toph walked on as Hisho stopped to close the door behind them. Toph sighed at the familiar surroundings. She couldn't see, but she could definitely "see" the memories they all had here. Every time they visited Sokka and Suki, she recognized it all. The homey feeling of the living room to the right of the entrance. They weren't there, but she just felt the sweet scent of home.

Not her home, no, but a different scent. It was Sokka and Suki's home. It was a family home. A home for two people who loved each and were willing to close the distance to show that. Though Toph couldn't see it, she knew they hung pictures and portraits of themselves. She knew they had sweet, couple-like breakfasts together in the morning. She figured they would sit in their living room together in their freetime, just soaking up each other's presence. They gave each other sweet nicknames and embraced each other without fear. They slept in the same—

"Hey!" Suki's voice appeared, disrupting Toph's thoughts.

She looked off into the kitchen, where the source originated from. She allowed a half smirk to grow as the Kyoshi Warrior approached her with open arms. Toph remained still as Suki hugged her. "Ah, Mrs. Snoozles!" Her hug tightened around Toph's frame, causing her to frown. "Alright, I'm already not missing you anymore!" she grumbled.

Suki laughed as she finally released the blind bender. "Aww, come on, it's been months since we've seen each other!" She faked a pout as she feigned a gasp. "You mean to tell me you didn't miss me!" She brought her hand up to her chest whilst Toph maintained a blank expression. "At all?"

Hisho was busy stifling his laughter at the display of the warrior. "If it's any consolation, _I_ missed you," he chimed in, extended arms out to her.

Suki smiled as she accepted the hug. "Good to hear one of you did," she mused. "How are you Hisho?" Suki asked, "Everything fine with the Missus?"

Hisho nodded happily. "Couldn't be happier!"

Toph snorted. "Which is already saying more for a _certain_ married couple."

Suki's eyes widened at Toph whilst Hisho elbowed Toph's shoulder. "Seriously? He's not even here, Toph," Suki chastised, crossing her arms at her friend.

Toph's brows rose. "What? Why?" she asked. "Did Twinkles have something else better to do? Important enough to back out on a promise?"

Suki and Hisho exchanged a glance at the specifically offhanded comment. "Uhh, he's here Toph," Suki jerked her thumb over her shoulder, "The gang's just outback."

"Oh," Toph said wordlessly. Her face slightly flushed but she fought back. "Well then I guess I found where the _actual_ party is," she muttered, walking through the kitchen and toward the back door.

Suki smirked, glancing back at Hisho before saying, "Yes, but, _he's_ in the washroom right now."

Toph stopped in her tracks and threw a blind glare over at Suki. There was no way she knew, Suki was just teasing her like a child. Still, she had to give a Toph-like response. "Great! Can whoever this _he_ is, hurry it up so we can get this party started?"

Suki shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You know it's just us right? Hanging out?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," Toph moaned as she pushed open the door and waltzed outside. She had to keep her cool and make sure she didn't let things like Suki's teases get to her. She stepped out and let out a quick sigh. Sokka and Zuko were sat at the picnic bench in silence, almost as if their attention was elsewhere. "You two Dunderheads cloud watching?" she said with a smirk. "And here I thought Twinkletoes was the softie out you three ladies—"

"Hey Toph!" a familiar, elated tone echoed from above her. She instantly froze up. She felt a sudden breeze overwhelm her surroundings. Then soon enough, the faintest of footsteps appeared behind her. Toph whipped her body around and found Aang stood behind her, wearing what she knew was his stupid grin. "Didn't think you'd actually come!"

She doesn't know why she allowed him to catch her off guard. But, he did, so she was a little disoriented. "I—why the heck were you flying around!" she shouted.

Aang was taken aback by the sudden lash, and furrowed a confused brow at Toph. "Uh, sorry? I didn't mean to frighten you or—"

"As _if_ ," Toph interjected defensively, arms crossed. "I just wanted to know what type of stupid ballet formation were you doing this time."

Aang's raised brow held for a second, but he decided not to act on anything. "It wasn't stupid and it isn't ballet."

Toph scoffed. "Yeah, yeah." She nonchalantly shrugged. "It's a sacred Air Nomad formation where you create some stupid words in the sky to cement your blah blah's in the world or whatever." She waved her hand repeatedly, as if to dismiss the argument. "Might as well spell out 'I love you' in the sky."

Sokka smirked, bringing a hand up to his chin as he thought. "Huh, that'd be an idea for a proposal."

"Also cliche and moronic," Zuko suggested.

Toph smiled as she turned toward the two and aimlessly gestured toward Zuko. "See? Sparky's on my side!"

"I was until you brought _that_ name back," Zuko muttered. He shook his head and palmed his face. "Honestly, what is it with you and nicknames?"

She smirked. "It's how I show affection."

Sokka laughed. "So I guess what happened with you and Aang was tasteless as ever, eh?" He playfully slapped Zuko's shoulder as he bursted out into laughter. Both Toph and Aang threw an unamused glare toward Sokka, which he immediately sensed, causing his laughter to die off. "Oh.. eheh… ha…" he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, Zuko! What say you and I get started on the barbeque? Huh?"

Zuko sighed but nodded, sensing his friend's desperate need of an escape. "Fine, but as long as I'm not roasting anything," he said as he followed Sokka to the grill. "I swear, it's called a barbeque, not a bonfire roast!"

"It was one time, and we were travelling!" Sokka amended as he dispersed from the small gathering and moved over to the grill at the back.

Zuko stopped and turned, smiling at Aang. "Oh yeah, Aang, that was a beautiful display you made."

Aang nodded at Zuko. "Thanks," he replied. "It was just something I thought up recently."

"Zuko!" Sokka shouted. "Grill time!"

Zuko sighed and turned around. "We'll try to whip up the meal as quickly as possible."

That only left Toph and Aang to awkwardly stand beside each other. Toph mentally groaned at their current situation. He was smiling at her, of course he would be. She immediately regretted leaving the kitchen so soon to avoid Hisho and Suki's comments. That would have been easier to handle than Aang. She was about to make a comment about staring, but she knew he was going to say some awfully cheesy line. He opened his mouth to say said line, but Toph decided to intervene.

"You said it'd be fun," Toph pointedly.

Aang snorted as he cocked his head to the right. "No," he said as if it was obvious. "You asked that we _go_ somewhere fun!" he rephrased. "And well, here we are!" he declared to Toph.

She frowned in response. "Because the Snoozle residence is the _exact_ embodiment of a fun place," Toph said dryly.

"Well, not exactly," Aang amended with a chuckle. "But, you and I are fun!" He received a glare. "Okay fine, you're the Queen of Fun, and I'm like the squire of fun."

"You don't even hold a candle to me, Twinkletoes."

"Okay, you keep telling yourself that," Aang said with a smirk. "I am fun. I have two kids, I have to be fun—ugh, that's besides the point!" he shouted playfully, ignoring Toph's snickering. "Point is, you and I are fun, so wherever we go is fun! See? Makes sense!"

Toph cocked her head to the right as she rose a brow. "So that's your logical process of deduction?" She laughed. "But I'll except, as you did name me the Queen of Fun."

"At least we have some sort of silver lining," Aang conceded. Toph's brows rose in shock. Aang hastily added, "I didn't mean it like _that_ , it was a joke—"

"Why a barbeque," Toph questioned, "what are you going to eat?" She decided to save his skin, or maybe it was to avoid the topic. Aang figured it was the latter. "Unless you decided to do some sort of cheat day, I don't think grilled lettuce is any good."

Aang laughed. "Yeah, no, that's not happening," he smirked. "Suki's bringing out a salad right now." He jerked his thumb over to the kitchen.

Toph was immediately reminded of the Kyoshi Warrior and her minor ploy. She tricked her, and all she did was mislead Toph. Toph realized she had to mask any reaction to Suki's tease. But, making no comment might confirm whatever suspicions Suki had. Toph gritted her teeth and mentally groaned. This didn't have to be anymore difficult. That was the whole point of Hisho. Which was suddenly a great out for Toph.

"Well for a salad, she sure is taking a long time to prep it." Toph crossed her arms as she nodded over to the general direction of the kitchen. "When I left she was busy catching up with Hisho."

Aang's brows raised. "You brought Hisho?"

"Yeah, why, is that a problem Twinkletoes?"

He smirked. "No, not at all," he answered proudly. "I'm glad you did. I was worried I'd have to pick you up or something."

"That would _not_ be necessary," Toph dismissed. "Where is Appa anyways?"

Aang pointed up in the sky. "Flying Momo around." He let out a sigh, but held his smile. "I think Momo's getting a little tired nowadays."

"Oh," Toph frowned. She had no words—yet again. Spirits, she was terrible. She loved Momo just as much as Aang, and she couldn't even find the words to say sorry.

"Anyways," Aang spoke up. "I guess I'll go check up on Suki," he said as he began walking away. "And say hi to Hisho!" He stopped just before the doorway and turned to smirk at Toph. "Which, by the way, I'm _glad_ you brought." With that, he stepped in aside.

Toph frowned at his implication. Of course she'd bring Hisho, he was basically her human Appa. But now he was subtly implying how simple it was to have help around. Now he was gonna rub it in her face. But Hisho was different from an Acolyte or any maid. He wasn't just some person Toph called on a whim, he was someone _she_ trusted. Toph didn't have it in her to just blindly trust a bunch of Twinklytoe worshippers. And using Hisho as a her personal driver was different from literally anyone else. Hisho was loyal to Toph, and she was glad to have one person who she could rely on. He was a friend, simple as that.

Toph shook her head. Maybe she was just overthinking everything. Maybe Aang was just glad she brought someone along and that she didn't walk all the way here. Maybe there was no message behind it all. Toph looked up toward the sky as she pondered on that thought. Perhaps, some things were just like as simple as the messages Aang wrote in the sky. To everyone else, they were probably as clear and obvious as could be, but to Toph, she was looking at something unclear. She was looking at her opposing element.

But that thought made Toph smile a bit, all while simultaneously confusing her. How could her something she was afraid of be attributed to someone she cared about? Maybe that, in its own right, was poetic. How her greatest fear was linked with her greatest— _something_. He was a crush, whatever he was now was entirely up for him to prove. And for Toph to believe.

"Toph?" She glanced over to Zuko and Sokka's direction. "You okay?" Zuko asked.

She laughed. "Yeah, just trying this whole 'cloud watching' thing," she pointed up to the sky. "I don't see what the hoopla's all about."

Sokka chuckled whilst Zuko rolled his eyes. "Haha, you're hilarious," Zuko said monotonously. "How do you want your steak?" he pointed to the grill which already had two steaks sizzling on it.

"Well done," she answered, walking over to the two. "And better make it snappy! I didn't come all this way to hang out with you guys."

"Of course, of course," Zuko replied, "We wouldn't want a cranky Toph on our hands now." He turned back to the grill and started to prong the steaks. Sokka stepped over to Zuko and whispered something, to which he responded with a nod.

Sokka smirked as he walked over to the picnic bench, smiling at Toph. "So, how have you been Toph?" he asked curiously. "We haven't heard from you in a long time."

Toph smiled as she walked over to Sokka, sitting adjacent from him. "I'm still kicking, so that's good." She shrugged. "Finally put those Badger Bandits away, so that was uplifting."

"Heard about that," Zuko responded. "I'm glad to hear it!" he added afterward. "With so much of your workforce taking time off I was worried you'd be stressed out."

"Yeah," Sokka smiled, "Seems like all we hear from you nowadays is just work. Are you doing okay?" He asked, in a softer tone.

She raised a brow. "Yeah, I just said I was."

"It's just…" Sokka trailed off, awkwardly. "Well…"

Right after Zuko lowered the cover on the grill, he turned around and sighed. "You've been outta town a lot," he finished, crossing his arms knowingly at the Earthbender. "We're just concerned is all."

Toph scoffed. "Nothing to worry about Sparky," she replied, "I just need some me time is all."

Zuko and Sokka exchanged a quick glance, then nodded. "Aang still hangs out with you," Zuko said. It didn't sound like a question nor a statement. It was almost a prompt.

Toph raised a brow. "Yeah? So?"

Zuko shrugged in response after skeptically narrowing his brows. "Is he fine?" he asked softly.

She felt their sad gazes fall upon her. Great, now she was their intel on the broken heart Airbender. "He's fine," she answered simply. In truth, he actually did seem fine. He seemed chipper and more excited around Toph. His brave face act didn't seem so fake anymore. Aang seemed genuinely happy. Could it have been possible, Toph really was something more to Aang? She smiled at the thought. Maybe there was more to being a replacement. "Trust me," she nodded, "He's fine guys."

Speaking of, Aang walked out from the house, with Suki and Hisho trailing after him. "Whelp, my salad is ready, but I'll wait on you guys to start eating," he announced as he brought his food over to the table.

"That's kind of you," Suki smiled as she walked over to the table, placing the plates around.

Hisho walked over and began greeting Zuko. "Fire Lord Zuko," he acknowledged, embracing the Firebender with a hug. Sokka rose from his spot and followed after. "Councilman Sokka," he followed up.

Right as they pulled away from their hug, Sokka smiled as something crossed his mind. "Oh, Hisho, Suki, check out the writing Aang made in the sky!" Sokka said a he pointed up.

Hisho looked up, brows raised in curiosity. Just as he saw the words his vision fell back onto Aang and he was wearing a smile. "Wow… Avatar Aang, that, is just beautiful."

"Aww, Aang," Suki cooed.

Right after their moment of awe, Zuko and Sokka immediately engaged into a discussion, catching up with Hisho. Toph sighed as she watched her assistant laugh and talk with the two. Aang, of course, sat himself beside Toph, setting his salad bowl down. "Ugh," Toph faked a gag, "Twinkletoes, could you kindly remove your wimpy food away from my vicinity, it's stinking up my presence."

Aang laughed, lifting the bowl and shoving it closer to Toph. "Aww, is the world's Greatest Earthbender afraid of a little lettuce?"

Toph gave him a shove. "As if!" she shouted.

Suki was stood at the other side of the table, still setting down the utensils. She kept giving the two a skeptical glance as she worked. "C'mon, you've had greens before, they aren't bad." Aang held out the bowl toward her, smiling.

"Sure, but they're sissy food," Toph quipped, prodding the bowl back toward Aang, "which is why _you_ eat it."

"Butchered meat doesn't make you tough," Aang retorted. "I should know, I was your first pupil, nothing I ate ever prepared me for a lesson with you."

Toph snorted. "Please, you're barely tough now."

"Come on, I'm rock-like," Aang whined. "Or if I recall correctly, you told me that I was."

"That was to get you to stop whining," Toph replied. "Which obviously didn't work," she added, lightly punching Aang's shoulder.

He set down his bowl, in fear of spilling his food, and laughed. "Whatever you need to tell yourself Toph," Aang dismissed as he shook his head. "I know what you _really_ think of me." His tone was completely teasing.

Toph narrowed her eyes and said, "Do you?"

"Oh yeah," he nodded confidently.

The two stopped their exchanges and looked over to Suki, who was smiling. "What?" Toph spat out.

"Nothing," she said softly. "I think I forgot to tell Sokka how I wanted my steak." Suki politely excused herself as she joined the other three.

"Well that was subtle," Aang muttered.

"So were you," Toph nearly barked.

He smirked. "Whatever do you mean, Toph?"

"Twinkles, if you don't knock it off I'll knock _you_ out!" she ordered, curling her left hand into a fist.

Aang chuckled as he cupped his hand around Toph's fist, and lowered it down to his lap. "It's okay Toph," he said quietly. "I swear, I'm kidding."

"It's like you want them to know," she muttered, pulling her hand away.

"Sorry," he sheepishly apologized. Aang sighed, giving Toph the signal that what followed after was going to be heavy. Great, another long winded talk. "Hisho told me you asked him to take you last minute," his tone fell to a hush voice.

"Yeah, I just realized I forgot to ask you to pick me up," Toph quickly answered, mimicking his tone.

"So that's why he's here?"

"I thought we established this?"

"So he's not your attempt at a buffer?" Aang inquired, raising a brow at Toph.

Toph threw a blind death glare at Aang, frowning as she did so. The two stared at each other in silence before Toph answered. "Was it that obvious?" she asked, surrendering her glare.

Aang laughed. "Toph, he had no idea why you suddenly brought him along. It was kinda clear that you didn't want to talk, so I figured you brought him to do that for you."

"And I guess Suki filled you in on my little reaction?" Toph sighed. That woman was trouble for her.

The Avatar furrowed a brow. "What? No? What reaction?" Toph made a confused face. So she didn't say anything? For what reason? Maybe that Warrior had some intention of her own.

"Never mind," Toph dismissed. "So, now that's cleared up, are we done?" she hurriedly asked. "'Cause us talking about… this, is really dumb."

"I'm not trying to tell them," Aang argued. "I knew you didn't want to talk, and I also knew you don't have any reason to excuse yourself so might as well do now, huh?"

"Twinkles," Toph gritted out.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, ignoring her opposition. "I know I was being so impulsive and inconsiderate, but I just caught up in everything. I guess, I just took a glance at our situation and… I… something that I thought was a good idea clicked inside me." He sighed as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It's just, with everything so far… I thought this might've been something we could have tried." Toph blankly stared Aang, waiting for him to get to his point. "I'm… I am so sorry Toph."

Toph could not believe this Airhead. Now he was practically backing out on his words. Which did make sense, since he had no idea how Toph would react. The Beifong's moods were unpredictable, and he preferred to dance around the subject. He was being smart at least. "I'm… I'm not mad, because you asked me to move in with you," Toph explained. Aang raised his brows. "Wait, no, I _am_ mad about that. Because it was sudden." He nodded his head agreeingly. "I'm mad… because—" there was no point in hesitating now, she had to go the full mile. "it… it still feels like you're not over her."

Aang cocked his head to the right as he raised a brow. His heart gave him away, as it began beating rapidly. "What?" he asked softly.

"I feel like…" She took a deep breath. "You're… You're just—"

"Toph, just say it," Aang advised, looking on in curiosity.

She grit her teeth as she clenched her fists. Why was this so hard? She's been blunt and honest before, why was accusing him of something any different? "Let's not do this now," she finally said. "Not with them here."

Aang stared at her questionably, before nodding obediently. "Of course," he whispered. "Later it is then." He reached for her hand and gave it a small squeeze, following up with a wink. It was his left eye, so present company wouldn't see his "flirting." He really wasn't dumb.

Soon enough, everyone's steaks were ready and the gang happily began their meal. For the first few minutes, they worked away at their meals while occasionally throwing an occasional conversation up every once in a while. Toph noticed how it was actually a subtle interrogation against Aang. Things like asking generally if everyone was happy nowadays (that was Sokka), or if anyone ever just missed hanging out one-on-one, or if anyone was willing to visit Katara for a few days. That had gained a collective interest, but everyone—much to Toph's reluctance—agreed it would be a good idea.

"Without hesitation, I would fly over to see my kids," Aang declared. So that was settled, for another day.

The topics ranged into steady going catch up, asking each other about work mainly. Of course the idea of asking what Katara was up to hung at the back of their minds, Toph knew this. She could sense the hesitance with each question. She also didn't understand where this all came from. It was as if he had mentioned her or something. Maybe his sky message had something to do with it. Regardless, it annoyed her how much they were babying Aang. He was a grown adult, he could handle himself and he could handle a direct question. It was practically insulting, and Toph knew he knew. But of course, neither chose to act in fear of annoying the other or starting a whole new issue.

Toph decided to throw Aang a bone, and asked, "Out of all the things we could've done, a barbeque was the best idea?"

"I don't know Toph, I like it," Suki compromised, "though I do see why you'd be expecting something like a fancy restaurant." She shrugged simply as she continued to eat.

"Yeah, we were planning on Kwong's Cuisine," Zuko said to Suki. He shoved a piece of steak into his mouth and shrugged. "But Sokka suggested a personal gathering like this would be better."

Suki raised a brow. "Kwong's Cuisine?" she inquired.

"The latest restaurant to hit Republic City," Sokka answered. "Very high class apparently. None of us have been yet."

Toph smirked. "I have," she spoke up. Zuko and Sokka threw a curious look at Toph. "Yeah, I go out sometimes." She shrugged defensively. "Their steak there is nowhere near yours, Zuko." He smiled at the sentiment. "Theirs is better," she added with a proud smirk. "Like, they are just divine," she stated in a proper tone, as is she was an upper class citizen—which she was.

Zuko frowned. "How heartwarming," he said dryly. He glanced back and forth between Aang and Toph. Toph sensed his skepticism, which practically told her something happened. "So, I guess us three have yet to try this place out."

Sokka raised a brow as he pointed his knife toward Aang. "You've been?" he asked before shoving a piece of steak into his mouth.

Aang replied with a smirk and nodded. "Yeah, a few weeks ago." The statement was simple and went unnoticed, but Toph was still mad. She dug her heel into the ground and sent a small spike up Aang's foot. He held in a grunt as he forced out a smile. "For a lunch," he finished, as if that changed the course of the topic.

"With Toph?" Sokka added.

"And me," Hisho spoke up, smiling at the Councilman. "Toph and I went out for lunch and happened across Aang along the way." He shrugged nonchalantly, picking up the conversation with ease. "It was a small lunch, but the place is good for a full meal. My wife and I went a while ago for a dinner, great selection in the evening." Toph and somehow Aang, managed to keep their cool. Neither reacted nor commented on it, in fear of overcompensating for an answer. Spirits, they loved this assistant so much.

Suki smiled as she reached for Sokka's hand, squeezing it. "Good thing I'm here all month. We can go out and try it!"

Sokka smiled at Suki. "Yeah! That sounds like a lovely date."

Zuko scoffed. "Guess I'm chopped liver," he stated with a fake pout.

"You can take Mai," Aang suggested.

Zuko snorted. "She's not one for those type of gestures," he said with a smile, "Heck, it took me so long to propose to her because I had no idea how." He scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Mai is a special type of woman."

Sokka laughed. "Yeah, I'll say, your on and off again relationship was annoying." He nudged Suki with his elbow, causing her to smile a bit.

"Well, I think I can say the ladies of Team Avatar certainly are a special case like no other," Aang declared with a proud smile.

Hisho nodded, "You sure now how to pick 'em!" The gang laughed at the statement.

"I hope that's a compliment Twinkletoes," Toph warned as she laughed.

Aang scoffed. "You can take it whichever way you'd like to." He smirked as he looked over to the married couple. "I'm glad that you guys are still going strong."

Suki nodded in agreement. "Same. With me working in the Earth Kingdom so much, I was getting worried I would just go insane without you guys." She smiled at everyone, soaking up the moment. It was clear that she missed moments like these, they all did. "But I managed to keep on. And Iroh is a great help in that."

Zuko's smile grew more as Toph's expression perked up at the mention of their favourite old person. "How is my uncle?" the Fire Lord asked curiously.

"He still playing Pai Sho like a champion?" Toph happily questioned.

Suki smiled, "Still undefeated. He's still happy around the shop, he still has lots of customers." Her face perked up. "Oh! Why don't I try and make us some tea?" she offered excitedly.

Zuko happily nodded at the gesture. "Yeah, I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd appreciate it!"

"I could go for some tea," Hisho chirped. He had not met Iroh much, but just enough to try his tea. He too thought it to be something out of this world.

Toph smiled as well. "Get on it Mrs. Snoozles, I need to feel a bit closer to the old loon."

"Sorry if it won't be the same," Suki apologized as she rose from her seat. "I'll get on it right away."

Zuko rose and immediately followed after. "I can help?" he suggested as he trailed behind.

Sokka quickly sprung out of his seat and followed the two. "Now _I_ have to make sure he doesn't burn down our kitchen!" he shouted as he rushed after them.

The remainder of the party laughed at Sokka's concerned haste. His worry was well placed though. Zuko may have been capable of a lot of things, but he couldn't make tea for the life of him. The Fire Lord would often argue his tea wasn't that bad, yet the amount of times the gang found themselves tossing the beverage into the soil seemed to outweigh his argument. But no one really had any right to argue. While they all could make better tea than Zuko, no one could even reach within a centimetre of Iroh's tea. That was until Suki learned, at least.

"Well, they're not being subtle," Aang chuckled softly as he reached for his napkin. He wiped his chin as Toph snorted.

"Could you blame them?" Hisho commented, nodding his head upward. Aang laughed at the gesture.

"You could at least give a straight answer or be more direct," she muttered.

"And why aren't you?" he teased.

Toph threw a glare at the Avatar. "Because it's not my job to baby you either! How are you not annoyed? They're being so condescending and tip toeing around this so much they're almost as twinkly toed as you!" Hisho snickered at the comment, but a mere glance from Toph silenced him—it was more so a stifle, he really was enjoying this.

Aang laughed. "Toph, it's fine, really…" he assured with a small smile. "They're just concerned is all. I've already told them I'm okay, but I can't fault them for still being cautious."

Toph crossed her arms and scoffed. "Still…" she mumbled.

"I'm sensing I need to excuse myself," Hisho announced as he rose up from his seat. "I'll just use the restroom."

"Some buffer you are," Toph muttered under her breath.

"Pardon?"

"Thank you, Hisho," Aang smiled, "But if only Toph wants to dismiss you." He looked to her. She groaned as she nodded her head. Hisho smirked as he walked away from the two. Right as he entered the house, Aang started right away. "It's not easy," he spoke up in a soft tone, "to get over something like this."

Toph's grip on her arms tightened more. "You mean someone like her."

" _Toph_."

"I'm hearing you Twinkles," she fired back, "but it's like you're not hearing me." She doesn't know why her voice fell flat on silence, or why she cowered behind a soft spoken tone. "I just… I don't feel like, you're actually being as truthful as you think. It just, it doesn't feel like whatever this is… is for the right reasons."

Aang stared at her, befuddled. His eyes were wide, and his heart beating a million per minute. There were many reasons as to why he was nervous, afraid. Toph was vulnerable. He made her vulnerable, and let her down. But in truth, he wasn't even sure if what she said was wrong. Had he been using her? Aang swallowed his words as he thought more on it. He had been so sure it was love, that it was worth it. But, maybe it was not as simple as he thought it once was.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and recalled the past few weeks. The past few months, the past few years. It all felt like a blur at times, but it was also all so slow. The slowest moments were the ones without her, Toph. The times she wasn't around, the times no one was around to call him Twinkletoes, the times where he had no one else to escape with. He thought on their friendship, on how he was purely convinced theirs could last one more lifetime. Aang soaked in the moments they had over the past few weeks, and liked how well it compared to their time together over the past few years. He liked what was happening.

Sure, Katara and him had their moments. They _did_ exist. But not all relationships could compare so easily. Sometimes, a friendship could be more powerful than a sibling bond. Or even, a good friend could mean a lot to someone. He appreciated those small moments with Katara. But those in itself, could only be described as just that, small. Maybe he was over exaggerating with Toph, and under exaggerating with Katara—it was likely it was both. What was certain, was that love was the only thing that could make him so flustered and confused. Love was the only thing Aang had feared most while also cherishing it above all else. He opened his eyes to a vulnerable Toph. _The_ Toph Beifong, afraid. Afraid of something he had feared. Here she was, in front of him. Aang looked at Toph, and he smiled.

"I see… pure beauty…" he uttered wordlessly.

Toph's face flushed as her brows narrowed. "What kinda response is that!" she nearly shouted. "I'm trying to pour my heart and all you can talk about is looks?"

Aang couldn't fight off his smile. "It's… much, _much_ more than that Toph." His hands slowly found themselves placed on Toph's, removing their death grip on her arms. His right hand slowly intertwined with hers, and she let it happen. "I see what we have, and I see beauty. I see our friendship. I see what we have now, I just. I _know_ it's different. I know it. But, different doesn't mean it can change _everything_ I've been through. I… I can't say I haven't thought about Katara at all these past few weeks, or Bumi, or Kya. Because that'd be impossible."

"Then why don't you?" Toph questioned. "Why haven't you?"

"I didn't think Toph Beifong would be prone to discussing feelings," Aang mused.

"She's not," she replied, "only when it starts to concern… her own feelings." Again, soft spoken but for a good reason. Aang knew what she was implying. She knew she meant him, them, all of it.

"Toph, I… I want to talk about it. But, I just…" he trailed off, frowning.

"You can't," she finished. She squeezed his hand out of reassurance. "I know." She nodded. Patience was annoying, but she could manage.

He smiled at the gesture and sighed. "I will. I know I can, I just… I need to sort out everything in my head first."

"And living together can help with that?" Toph retorted.

"Yes, because I'm at my best with you," Aang confidently answered. "I know that I can give you all the answers, but only because they come with you." The blind bender raised a confused brow at his words. "Okay, I mean, it's just, when we are together my questions just feel answered. I can look at you right now and tell you, I feel just as afraid as you. But, I also know I'm not as confused." He raised their hands slightly, as if to show her blind eyes more clearly. "Without a doubt, something about this feels right." As he lowered their hands he added, "And tell me, with what you feel, can you honestly tell me I'm lying?"

Toph took a deep breath and shook her head. "I believe you. I believed you weeks ago, when I trusted my senses before. And it led us here."

"And what happened along the way was good, right?"

She scoffed. "It was okay…" Aang chuckled. "Aang," Toph said softly, "I've already heard it before. I don't need to hear another poem about our…" She gulped. "Love… and how you see it can transcend all relationships in existence." She let out another sigh, tightening his hand again. "I know what you want to say, I get it already. I just want to know if you really understand what this," she shook their hands, "is."

He smiled at her, grinning like the twelve year old who had learned how to Earthbend for the first time. Toph just, knew that smile. She couldn't see it, but she just… knew. It was that same dumb kid who smiled when he stepped in the ring to greet his future Earthbending teacher (also the same one to cheat a win, but she wasn't bitter). Toph could only smile back. She started to think—no, she knew what this was leading to. It was then Toph knew that what she wanted to say, was going to be worth it.

He brought Toph's hand to his lips and kissed them. "It's love." Again, Toph cursed her stupid heart for actually feeling so weird and fluttering at Aang's words. "I truly believe, what we have is something that can, as you said, 'transcend all relationships—"

"I was making fun of—"

"I believed it," he continued, "right after our lips met for the first time." Another silence, another moment to sink it all in. Spirits, she _really_ needed a comeback for when he was like this otherwise he'd be walking all over her. "Sure, we were drunk and everything, but the morning after, I just… I felt different." He happily chuckled as he thumbed Toph's knuckle. "So yes, I do understand what this is. I also understand you, just as much as you understand me."

Toph smiled. "It's kinda hard not to pick up a few things with your annoying face everywhere."

Aang shook his head, grinning. "What I was leading to, is that I also understand a lot about you. I _am_ hearing you. I get what you're feeling and I don't fault you at all for it. I understand why you'd have doubts and everything." He nodded his head repeatedly. "So I understand why you're afraid to say it. But no, I'm not _trying_ to replace Katara with you. And I am sorry I ever made you feel that way. In a lot of ways, yes, I guess I am doing that, but I just saw— _see_ , it as moving on."

Toph held back a smile, biting down on her lower lip. "I get it. I'm just glad you could tell me that." She quietly coughed. "Because… it felt good to hear." Her heart was soaring at this point. Every single word, honest as could be. She knew he meant it from the first day, but, hearing him again made a bigger difference. Reassurance really was one of her doubts. "So prove it to me," she said, also demanded. Before he could ask for any clarification, Toph added, "Prove to me that you _are_ ready for the next step."

"I–I am. I'm willing to prove it," Aang replied, surprised she was actually making a declaration. It had caught him off guard, but he nodded his head rapidly. His eyes were wide as he gave his full attention—as if he didn't before.

"Then move in with me."

Aang's eyes somehow widened again. "Wh-What?"

Toph swallowed hard as she closed her eyes. She mentally prepared herself. She was _not_ backing out now. "If you really want to prove this, relationship," it rolled off the tongue easily this time, "then move in with me. Because that would really—"

"Yes," he interjected.

Toph's brows rose in shock. "Really? No hesitation?"

"Yes," Aang nodded. Toph smiled at his answer but remained silent, leaving the Avatar to wait. "Wait, is this a trick? I-I mean, are you sure you want this—I do! I mean, I'm all for it! I just want to make sure you are too!" Toph began laughing, leaving Aang to sigh. "Oh thank the Spirits, I thought you were baiting me there."

She shook her head, not caring about her blush or her smile. "So you'll do it?"

He chuckled. "Sure! I mean, who else is expected to clean your filth of a house?"

"Ah great, a servant I can't fire," Toph mused, "looks like I didn't think this through." Her tone was dryly sarcastic.

Aang smiled. "I have a feeling you did. Because as I recall, you like having someone to boss around." He started to lean in, just to sneak in a kiss. This time, it felt right. Toph was ready for it this time, no fear. No more backing down, from either of them.

But, Aang backed away near the edge of the table's bench whilst Toph aggressively cleared her throat. The two immediately recovered from their recent interaction, hiding and blushes and such, as they turned toward the kitchen door. Suki stepped out with a tray of tea, Hisho followed after her, offering to serve them out. Zuko had trailed along with a frown, muttering something about Sokka not trusting him with a simple kettle. Everyone gathered around the table and happily sipped their tea. No one looked like they suspected Toph and Aang of anything. Almost as if nothing happened.

"Ahh," Aang said after sipping his drink, "Suki, I feel like everyday you're closer and closer to mastering Iroh's tea."

She smiled, slightly blushing at the compliment. "Really?" Everyone at the table nodded. "Well don't tell Iroh that, he'd probably just be heartbroken at that."

Zuko laughed. "Nonsense. He'd be excited that he _finally_ managed to pass his secret onto someone."

With that, the gang soon dissolved into more conversations. People noticed the change in Toph and Aang's mood. Sure, they could have done _a lot_ better at hiding it, but they were smitten. No one could blame them for being so perky. Aang's attitude had grown a tenfold, which wasn't different, but he was more engaging and excited. Toph too, was just smiling more. At the moment, everyone chalked it up as them just being good friends who had a nice talk. Only later on would it make sense to them, how it all fell into place.

As time passed and the so-called party droned on, Toph managed to catch Hisho's attention for a moment to quietly ask him something. "Hey, Hisho?" she smiled.

"Yes Chief?" he replied, turning his head to her, all the while matching her tone.

"What did he write in the sky?"

Hisho smiled, holding back his chuckles. " _Love—to be so free, yet so grounded._ "

Toph's smile grew as she felt Aang's heartbeat, imagining his smile whilst she "gazed" upon his general direction.

"That Airhead."

* * *

 _ **A/N: I AM NOT DEAD.**_

 _ **Ahhh, it feels good to finally update something. No, I am not dead, nor will I ever give up on this fic. Quick summary: stress, anxiety, school, meltdowns, writer's block, but then FINALLY a breather. I had like, a week's time, and I managed to get so much done for my writing.**_

 _ **NOW FOR THIS CHAPTER: This chapter was originally going to stop around Toph's courtyard scene, but I felt like I owed you guys more. But, I honestly hope you guys liked Toph's talk with Aang, as I may or may not plan to do more in the future. I enjoyed writing it, but it was hard. Please, if you guys felt like me burying concepts/metaphors and all that was a bit much and certain things were unclear, let me know.**_

 _ **I often worry I assume too much or too little of my readers. I can make a message, but some people can't read between the lines and it may needed to be stated more clearly. While for others, it might get slow and condescending with how clear I'm being.**_

 _ **Writing aside, I hope you all start to see the general direction this is going in. Because while at first our gang seems to swallow this new fangled story out of nowhere, it's just not as simple as that. Later chapters will shift heavily on present and heavily on past. Time skips will grow. All that jazz! Don't worry though, I will get in some Taang fluff scenes.**_

 _ **Hope I'm not OOC for anyone, please let me know for that as well.**_

 _ **Some responses:**_

 _ **A**_ _ **zgarth - Things are gonna pick up, I just wanted to lay in some more ground work and such. I'm really nervous about making Toph OOC. As for rating, I was tempted to make it rated M and try out a whole new style, but I don't think I could write it as immersive or as well as you think other than. But, who know's maybe later on? I leave it at T just to refer to said actions and such, maybe hint at it and all that. But yeah, can't hide that the two did something. They had kids as well! :P**_

 _ **TakatoMakino - Thanks for the kind words! Please keep reviewing, I love 'em!**_

 _ **Wolfboulder - Does this answer your question? o.0 (I kid, I kid).**_

 _ **Review, follow, favourite! Love you guys for sticking around! I would love to respond to your reviews in next chapters, maybe answer questions there too? Oh, if you want to keep updated, I tend to post on Tumblr. Username is blehblahblargh.**_

 ** _Until next time,_**

 _ **— Bleh**_


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